Something About You
by Babi
Summary: 'It says you're human.' When she allows herself to be close enough, Elena learns that there's nothing more beautiful than Damon's humanity.There's something about him that changes her view of him, love and the world, but especially changes her. Set in S3
1. Prologue

**Something About You**

**Prologue**

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><p>Elena Gilbert was tired. She had had a hell of a night. Scratch that, a hell of a week, of a month, of a summer… looking for Stefan all those weeks had been hard but facing him at that bar's parking lot had been even worse. She knew until some point Damon was trying to protect her from the truth, though sometimes it seemed like he felt just tempted to rub it in her face. Her boyfriend, actually ex-boyfriend after their latest meeting, wasn't the Stefan Salvatore she knew anymore.<p>

When they went to her family's lake house all those months ago, that now seemed like years, she had been shocked to read her ancestral's words about the man she knew and loved for his compassion, kindness and humanity. The man described by Jonathan Gilbert was nothing like the man she dated for almost a year and that didn't start to cover the man she would know later by reading his own journal. When she read the journals in the lake house it came to her as a shock but she had a lot of things going on to really give it a thought. Despite all the other problems she had back then it didn't change the fact that she felt, yet again, deceived. There were parts of Stefan's existence that he hid from her and they weren't the sort of thing a boyfriend was entitled to hide.

She started realizing that a lot of things she thought she knew weren't exactly what she was led to believe. She was well aware that Stefan killed for reasons that didn't include defending his life or someone else's. She knew when he first turned he probably ended up killing people because the urges weren't easy for a newly-turned vampire to control. She had a chance to witness Caroline going through the exact same thing, except that the blond wasn't alone, she had Stefan to help her and friends to support her while she learned how to control herself. One of the many things Elena was led to believe was that Stefan went through this time during his undead life alone.

But still Elena couldn't have thought of the lengths her ex-boyfriend went through to get human blood. Some of the things she read in the newspaper's clipping she found in Damon's bedroom were barbarous. She finally understood why they called him the ripper and reading some of the information she later collected with Liz made her stomach turn. She actually threw up after reading the reports she received by e-mail. And when Stefan was somewhat violent with her just a few days ago she finally realized he wasn't the man she loved so profoundly. As if that disappointment and deep pain weren't enough, she had to deal with the Salvatore brother she had on her side. But the nature of her problems with Damon couldn't diverge more from the ones with Stefan, and the reason was still the same: her assumptions about who he truly was couldn't be more wrong.

They never acknowledged the night when he almost died in her arms. Not in a serious way anyway, as Damon of course dropped a few comments about the deathbed kiss, quipping with sarcasm and sometimes even disdain. She knew he thought it was a pity kiss and she never corrected him on his own assumption because that was what she wanted to believe too. That had to be the only reason why she brushed her lips on his. After all it had been quite the juvenile kiss, childish even, lacking any passion or lust, but it was filled with strong emotions of losing him for good. The thought of losing him terrified her and while she said she liked him then, just the way he was, the following two months revealed even more about who Damon Salvatore really was.

Two months when she only had him around. Of course Jeremy, Alaric and Caroline didn't leave like Bonnie but the one person that she depended on to a certain extent was Damon. Alaric was drowning in his grief over Jenna, Jeremy started working at the grill and he was distant, reticent and too distracted. She didn't expect anything different from someone that, just like her, had been dead before coming back to life. Something like that certainly changed one's perspective. Caroline was more present but still she spent an incredible amount of time with Tyler. And that left her spending most hours of her days with Damon. Of course they had an agenda, they weren't just hanging out. They needed to find Stefan. But their agenda didn't stop them from getting even closer to each other. She didn't realize when the banters started but he had been the one thing that helped her face another day. Another day when she didn't have any other family but her brother. Another day when she felt guilty about her aunt's death. Another day when she didn't have Stefan by her side. Another day when she was left with her thoughts of what he could be doing with Klaus. Another day wondering what was really caused by Klaus and what was just Stefan.

Yeah, the only thing she had to hold onto was Damon. And being around him so much, depending on him to put a smile on her face against all odds, seeing how he tried to do his best to be there for her, showed her a Damon she didn't know yet. But somehow it didn't surprise her. It was as if she was expecting all those new little things she knew about him. It was as if she knew she could still be the girl she didn't recognize for more than a year, even if only for a brief second. What surprised her though was how he never used what happened between them in his deathbed to make things awkward. He did the best he could to hide from her who Stefan could really be. If she was honest with herself, a part of her expected Damon to use Stefan's heinous actions and distance against his younger brother. But Damon was an honorable person by definition, he just spent too many years ignoring every single trace of his humanity, bad or good, that he was used to using people and to taking advantage of every situation. That was why she thought he would take advantage of everything going down between her and Stefan. She more than thought it, she expected it, and sometimes she almost believed she actually hoped he would try to put her against Stefan. But once again Damon surprised her. If anything he tried to spare her from knowing who her boyfriend turned into. He never made a move on her, like she expected, although they had been alone many times. She was vulnerable and he knew it but still he was on his best behavior. Even the flirting and cocky comments slowed down. Actually it completely disappeared. That was until the night he went to her bedroom, again, and demanded to know why she changed her mind about leaving the mountain. But that wasn't flirting. That was his best way to cope with what was going on. And a way for him to make sure she wouldn't forget how she felt about him while Stefan was gone. That didn't count as flirting. That wasn't the kind of thing Damon usually did to make her uncomfortable. That counted as honesty, something she was always proud to have offered, but now she felt like it vanished from her dictionary. At least when it came down to Damon.

Maybe she was finding her way back with honesty by driving there? She thought about apologizing, she thought about demanding an apology. She thought about lecturing him for what he did to Caroline's father. She thought a lot of things but the one she couldn't brush off of her mind were Caroline's words. 'What does it say about me?' 'It says you're human.' And because of those words she felt herself being drawn to the Salvatore boarding house although she didn't have a clue of what she would say to the man she couldn't admit she was attract to. How could she admit it if every time any thought about Damon crossed her mind, she made a silent mantra remembering she had a boyfriend? She kept repeating to herself that Katherine broke their bond. Neither of them ever gave her too much detail about what their relationship used to be before Katherine. But even when she had saw the worst from both of them, when it came to the other, she had also seen faithfulness, concern, care and love. They seemed to be on each other's throat when Damon came to town but it didn't take a lot of time for her to start catching the genuine feelings they had for one another. And that could be summed up by only one word. Love. And she knew she was one of the reasons why they were making small progress to let the other know how they felt. She couldn't make the same mistake Katherine did. The vampire's words still echoed in her head even months after she uttered them. It's okay to love them both. And Elena actually agreed. She loved them both, to a different extent, but still she loved them both. The problem wasn't loving them but breaking them apart because of her love. Nothing in the world was worthy it but still she had to repeat it over and over again in her head to suppress certain thoughts.

As she approached the boarding house she felt herself growing anxious. His car was there and she still didn't know what she was going to say. Maybe she should just go back to her house and forget completely about what her best friend told her. There was a reason why she didn't want to even think about what her relationship with Damon became. And he was back into his jerky behavior killing Alaric and trying to kill Caroline's father. Yeah, lecturing him seemed like the most appropriate thing to do. The only thing Elena seemed not to notice in her own behavior was that she couldn't be away from Damon. He was the only constant thing she had in her life right now and even if she was trying to ignore how he got under her skin, or his bad actions in the previous night, or looking forward to lecturing him, one thing went unnoticed by the high school student: she needed to be around him, no matter the reason. It was the one thing to admit that he had become the closest person to her. Actually admitting that was pretty easy. He felt responsible for Stefan leaving with Klaus and he still felt bad about trying to turn her into a vampire. Of course he would do everything in his power to bring Stefan back and fix them. He wanted to redeem himself from all the bad things he did to both of them. But especially Stefan. Damon loved Stefan more than he had loved Katherine… or me, she dared to think. And Stefan proved he felt the same way about his brother over and over again. So it only made sense that Damon would be the closest person to her when she made the mission of her life to find her boyfriend and fix him. But admitting to that was entirely different from admitting she needed him there.

Making a decision to lecture him yet again she approached the front door and knocked, although she didn't use to do it anymore. But somehow she wanted to show him that things changed between them since he started being reckless again. But seconds passed and lost in her thoughts she only realized seconds probably turned into minutes when another batch of ideas crossed her mind.

Are you trying to show me I should be the one apologizing, Damon? That's childish, she thought as she knocked on the door yet again. This time she paid attention to her surroundings and thinking that maybe he was showering again she just decided to enter the house but then something odd happened: she realized the door was locked. It wasn't like Damon to lock the door. Actually she couldn't remember a time she ever came to the boarding house to find it locked. As she moved to look through one of the windows her cell phone rang in her purse and she stopped her actions and tried to find the device among the many other objects in her bag.

"Where are you?" Bonnie asked after Elena answered the phone.

"At the boarding house, why? Did you make any progress with the necklace?" Elena caught the anxiety on her friend's voice followed by a heavy sigh and cursing. Bonnie rarely cursed and that was enough for the straight haired brunette to know for sure something was wrong.

"What happened Bonnie?"

"Apparently Katherine did. I was sitting at the Grill and you came by, or at least I thought it was you and you asked for the necklace and I gave it to you but then I turned to the waitress serving coffee and when I looked across the table you weren't there anymore. I found it odd, especially because there were a lot of people around us for you to just disappear like that. I didn't think about calling you then because I was still shocked about Jeremy's problem…" the witch explained the events but when Elena heard her brother was having any sort of issues she interrupted her friend.

"What happened to Jeremy?"

"It seems like he can see his dead girlfriends. And they're able to talk to him and even touch him. I don't know if they're spirits or ghosts but the witches told me there would be consequences when he was brought back to life," Bonnie explained.

"What? Since when he's seeing them?" Elena asked shocked and she started once again moving around the boarding house, looking through the windows trying to see Damon or something that would explain why the house was locked, especially if his car was parked outside.

"Since that night," Bonnie simply said knowing a lot of things had happened that night and not wanting to provide more details to avoid bad memories for both of them.

"He never said a word to me," Elena said and just then she realized how she had been neglecting her own brother. Of course Jeremy was more distant than usual but she didn't try hard enough to be closer to him. She was too lost in her mission to rescue her boyfriend that she completely forgot that her brother maybe needed her just as much.

"I guess he didn't talk to anyone," Bonnie offered, although she was completely oblivious to the battle Elena was having inside.

"But what does it have to do with Katherine?" Elena asked confused, already forgetting about the rest of the morning's description Bonnie went through until she mentioned Jeremy.

"Did you meet me today?"

"No, of course not," Elena answered thinking maybe Bonnie was also seeing things.

"Then she did and she took the necklace with her," the witch clarified and Elena stayed quiet for a few seconds while still spying inside the Salvatore house. There was a half full tumbler of whiskey and Elena knew Damon better then to know he wasn't one to waste his liquor like that… unless he was interrupted.

"I guess that's not the only thing she took with her," Elena whispered as she put the puzzle together in her head. Katherine was back, Damon was gone but his car wasn't. And for some reason she didn't want to face yet, her heart skipped a beat inside her chest and she felt something that resembled her too much of one thing: desperation.

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><p>Elena's suspicions of Damon's departure were confirmed when she called him over ten times and he didn't answer. Neither did he answer her texts asking where he was. She even risked exposing herself asking in one of them if he was with Katherine, but not even that convinced him to answer her back. It reminded her of when she tried to contact Stefan just after Katherine delivered the cure but she couldn't. What if Damon didn't leave but was taken against his will or blackmailed to leave? Which possibility was worse? Knowing he was forced to leave and consequently being in danger or was it worse to know that he willingly left with the vampire he loved during almost his whole existence? Elena knew what the answer to that question should be for more than one reason and that's why she stopped thinking about it. She was afraid what the genuine answer would be and again what it would say about her.<p>

That didn't change the fact that she missed him around. When Stefan left it felt like there was a big hole in her life and somehow Damon filled some of that space. But now it felt even worse because Damon had always had his own space in her life. Now not only was the part that Damon filled wide open and empty again, but his own place was missing. And Elena never felt so alone in her life. Her parents weren't there anymore, nor was her aunt, or her boyfriend. And neither was the one person she had been the closest to for the last eight and a half weeks. Sixty-one days. And yeah, she was counting, although she didn't know why she was doing so. She kept saying it was because of Stefan and she truly believed it started like that. But the truth was she didn't have a clue of why she kept doing it. And the more times than she wanted to admit, the following thought on her mind after doing the math was the kiss.

But now Damon wasn't there. And the worst part was that he wasn't even alone. She was positive he left with Katherine and feeling more negative than usual, she thought he left on his own accord. And it made her heart ache. Did he prefer to spend time with Katherine rather than stay with her? Was it so wrong that she didn't want him to go on killing sprees? Especially when it involved one of her best friend's father? Didn't it cross his mind that she already had her fair share of that with Stefan? Did he need to go there too? Was it really that hard for him to understand that the only reason she needed him to be on check was because then she would be too? She felt like she was going to crumble at any moment. She was reaching her limit but maybe because she always kept going on, despite the terrible things happening around her, people may think she doesn't have a limit but she does and without Damon it seems to closer than ever.

And that was when realized she needed him. She realized she needed him there because if she reached her limit with him gone she didn't know for sure if someone would be there to catch her. No one was as close to her these days as he was and she needed him, not anyone else. And that involved an apology. She called his number once more, knowing he wouldn't pick up and that eventually she was going to be sent to his voicemail. And that was exactly what happened.

_Where are you? I need you here. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm pressuring you to be someone else. Stefan is already on a killing spree and that's the exact reason why I don't need you to be Stefan. I don't want you to be like Stefan, not the person he's now, not the person he was before. I know that this is not fair to you. And I know I keep asking you to be a better man, but what I said that night was true, Damon. I don't need you to be anyone else but you. I need you and nobody else. I'm sorry. Elena._

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><p><em>AN<em>: _So here is my new canon piece. It's set on season 3 at some point after 3x05. The next 2 or 3 chapters will be mixed with things I wrote on my own and Delena scenes from episodes 6 through 9. I plan this story to be very on character with the show, which means I won't turn Elena for example because I don't see the show doing it. It'll probably be a slow burning but I think faster than the show. I won't focus too much on the rest of the cast and I'll definitely don't write too much about the supernatural stuff going on around them, especially the ghosts storyline - which I hated - but you can count on plenty of DE moments. _

_Now some reviews would definitely be welcome and if you want to suggest anything you'd like to watch in the show, let me know._

_Thanks a lot to Daniela for being my beta to this chapter._

_xoxo_

_Babi_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters.<strong>


	2. I

.

I

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><p><em>Where are you? I need you here. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm pressuring you to be someone else. Stefan is already on a killing spree and that's the exact reason why I don't you to be Stefan. I don't want you to be like Stefan, not the person he's now, not the person he was before. I know that this is not fair to you. And I know keep asking you to be a better man, but what I said that night was true, Damon. I don't need you to be anyone else but you. I need you and nobody else. I'm sorry. Elena.<em>

She hung up but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that maybe she pushed him too hard. She actually bit her lip as that thought crossed her mind and she just hoped that wouldn't be the case.

She was tired, the day's events were wearing her down but she was going to wait for her brother to arrive. He was working at the shift night and she knew he would be home late but she had to start fixing what she could fix. She had been so focused on finding Stefan and finding a way to fix him that she didn't realize she was neglecting the ones that were still around her. And she felt like she should pay more attention to them before they were also gone.

But her body's needs were bigger and stronger than her heart's and it wasn't even midnight when she couldn't hold back anymore and sleep took over her.

She must have been really tired because it was past noon when she finally woke up the following day but she didn't feel like she had rested at all and thinking her brother would also be still asleep she decided to stay a little longer in her bed. They had just drawn up a new deed – thanks to Caroline's compulsion – and the house was again vampire proof except for Damon and Caroline who had already been invited in. And without Damon around she didn't feel as safe as she got used to. She hated feeling the helpless damsel in distress because that didn't fit who she really was. She was strong and she had proved more than once that nothing was scary enough to prevent her from protecting her loved ones. She knew no limit to protect and help them. Jeremy was her only family member left but her friends, the closest ones, became her family too. Not because she lost her adoptive and biological parents along with her aunt. She knew for sure if they were still there Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and more recently Alaric would still feel like family. And Damon. Damon didn't feel like family because he was her ex-boyfriend's brother. But although the older Salvatore brother felt like family, she couldn't exactly put him in any category like her other friends seemed to fit. He didn't feel like a sibling as the girls and Matt did and definitely not an uncle or even step-father as Alaric. What other positions were left? A cousin? That was too distant from how she felt about him. Damon was her closest friend… her best friend. That was what felt right about describing him. There was no one closer to her than him. And she felt safe with him around and now that he wasn't, she felt…

Afraid? Not exactly. Fear was now a common feeling to her heart. She was used to it already. She always feared losing someone else, fearing they would get hurt or what Klaus planned to do now that he broke the curse. She was afraid the Stefan she knew would never come back. She was afraid of a lot of things but the safety Damon provided wasn't the kind that sent her fears away. It did to a certain extent but it was more than that. She knew he would do everything in his power to protect her and everyone she cared about. She could see how he ignored his problems with Bonnie and Caroline to ensure they would live because he knew she would be devastated if they died. No, that wasn't the feeling that made Damon important for her. It was a safety that came from… reassurance. He would assure everything would be okay even if things spiraled out of control as they did many times. As they did when she lost Jenna, as they did when she lost John, as they did when Stefan left with Klaus. He helped her keep fighting; he brought the girl she used before she knew about the supernatural world, even if only for a few minutes. She didn't know how he was able to make her laugh, relax and be easygoing even if briefly. It was like he had the ability to rescue her from everything, even herself, for some moments and that matter a lot to Elena. And most part of those feelings came from his presence. He just needed to be there, one look at those blue eyes and somehow she knew everything would be okay because he would still be there.

She was still thinking about the vampire when her phone vibrated. She took some minutes to finally reach it on the nightstand. She knew it wouldn't hold good news and there was a feeling in her gut that it wasn't Damon finally answering her dozens of calls. And her intuition didn't fail her.

_Have you talked to Jeremy yet?_ Her brother's girlfriend asked and she knew she had to face the day, with or without Damon.

_No, still in my bed. I'll talk to him and call you. –E._ The high school student answered before finally getting up.

She walked to her dresser and took a clean outfit before heading to the bathroom. She needed a long and relaxing shower before facing the day alone. She hoped she would be able to keep her thoughts away from him. It seemed like ever since she found out Damon wasn't at the boarding house anymore all she could think was him. Even Stefan had slipped her mind.

She stayed under the jet for longer than thirty minutes and when she finally stepped out of the bathroom, through her brother's door, she found his bedroom to be just as she left it the day before. Jeremy rarely did his bed but she did it for him the day before, as she did most days. It was one of the many small distractions she used to go through the days. But if Jeremy hadn't slept at home and Bonnie didn't know about him either, where could he be?

A bad feeling sent shivers to her spine as she walked back to her bedroom to take her purse and phone before checking the rest of the house.

When she knew for sure she was alone, she called Bonnie. Things were going from bad to worse as each minute passed and she hated feeling that helpless and lost.

"Jeremy didn't sleep at home and he's not answering his phone," Elena offered without greeting her friend.

"I don't know, there's no note or anything. I'm going to check the Grill. Try to figure out who saw him for the last time," the doppelganger said as she headed outside.

"If you find anything let me know," she asked.

"Okay, I'll meet you there, bye," Elena said before entering her car and heading to the restaurant.

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><p>"Hey, Matt," she greeted her former boyfriend who was cleaning some tables outside.<p>

"Hi, Elena," he answered with the soft and warm smile she was used to.

"Did you see Jeremy?" she asked worried sick. What if something happened to her brother as well? She couldn't handle anything else especially without _him_ by her side.

"I was actually going to ask you the same thing. They called me last night asking me to come and cover for him because it was his turn to work the night shift but when he didn't show up and they couldn't contact him, they called me," the blond offered and Elena noticed how tired he actually looked. He probably had just a few hours of sleep but that wasn't the main of her concerns at the moment.

"Katherine is back. Or gone, we don't know. She came here yesterday and pretended to be me while she talked to Bonnie. Damon... nobody knows where he is and now Jeremy is also AWOL," the girl nearly panicked as she sat in one of the chairs between them.

"Did you check with Bonnie?"

"Yes, she hasn't talked to him since yesterday. It seems like there were some consequences from bringing him back and now he's gone," Elena let her hands ran through her still damp hair.

"Did he tell her about the ghosts?" Matt came closer to Elena and whispered.

"Do you know about it?" Elena asked honestly surprised.

"Yes, Jeremy told me a few weeks ago. He's been seeing my sister and his other ex-girlfriend, Anna," the waiter confirmed and Elena just grew more concerned.

"What if any of them did anything to him? Bonnie doesn't have a clue of why he can see them or what they are. What did he say to you?"

"That he could see them and that Vicki said there was a way for her to come back but he hasn't seen her for a few days, only Anna," Matt explained and he couldn't believe he was actually talking about those people as if they were still alive and had never been vampires while they lived. His life took a turn that he never thought possible and it was crazy to talk about supernatural creatures as if he was talking about the latest sports' news.

"And what does Anna say?" Elena asked while she texted Bonnie, letting her friend Jeremy had been missing for longer than they thought.

"He didn't tell me but I think she said something about Vicki and he didn't want to tell me because she's my sister," Matt concluded and it actually made sense to Elena that her brother wouldn't say anything bad about Matt's dead sister to him.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Elena asked feeling her phone vibrating with her friend's answer.

"Yesterday by this time he stopped by and confirmed he would come to the night shift. We didn't talk about the ghosts or whatever they are and he soon left saying he would spend the day with Bonnie," Matt offered while Elena looked at the street waiting for her friend to arrive. Bonnie said she was just around the corner.

"She said they talked early in the afternoon and since then she hasn't seen him either. Which means it's almost twenty-four hours since someone last saw him," Elena felt her heartbeat increasing in her chest and once again her thoughts were on Damon again. She knew he couldn't magically make Jeremy pop in front of her but she knew for sure he would make her feel less anxious and maybe even comforted. He would make her feel more confident about finding her brother. And if things went really wrong he would make her feel better.

"Matt, Elena," Bonnie announced as she joined them.

"You're the last person who saw him, unless he went somewhere else, but where? I don't think he's that close to Tyler anymore and he didn't have a lot of friends he would turn to, especially about this. It doesn't seem like Jeremy to visit any of his friends from school in the middle of summer when his life is a big mess," Elena rambled and Bonnie immediately knew her friend was even more vulnerable than she expected her to be. Actually it was more than understandable for Elena to be that tense about her brother's unknown whereabouts but the witch got used to the strong Elena that didn't let the circumstances bring her down. The strong girl that faced off the strongest vampire of all time and whatever other threat that came in the way if she had to protect her friends and family.

"How about Damon?" Matt asked.

"What about him? Did you see him?" Elena asked a little bit too fast and both of her friends noticed but neither said anything and she didn't have the energy to make it sound any differently from what it did.

"Sometimes Jeremy talked to him. I don't think they're close but he mentioned a couple of conversations with Damon," Matt clarified and the small hope that appeared on Elena's face promptly disappeared.

"He's MIA as well. I feel like Katherine has something to do with it. Maybe with both. Why would she want to pretend to be me and steal the necklace and by some coincidence Damon and Jeremy disappear the same day she comes back and leaves?"

"We don't know if she actually left," Bonnie added but Elena wasn't convinced.

"Trust me, she would have made her presence known if she was still around," her voice was filled with sarcasm and she wondered if Damon's personality was rubbing off on her.

"So what do we do next?" Matt asked also taking a chair. It wasn't like his boss could complain. He left the restaurant less than six hours ago.

"I have no idea. Did you get your powers back?" Elena turned to Bonnie but she already knew the answer before the witch shook her head negatively.

"We should let Caroline, Tyler and Alaric know. Maybe they know something we don't," Bonnie suggested and although it wasn't much it was the only thing they could do.

"It's prank night tonight, Caroline is probably at school working on it," Matt offered.

"We were supposed to help her," Elena said just remembering that was supposed to be their last free weeknight before school started on Monday.

"Let's go there," Bonnie suggested.

"Let me know if you find anything," Matt asked before they girls left and he headed inside the restaurant.

Elena took her car and drove to Mystic Falls High. Her heart sunk in her chest and she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to Damon although they were often focused on Jeremy as well. But thinking about her brother was what made her think about the vampire. She really needed him and checking her phone for the hundredth time she confirmed what she already knew: he wasn't going to call her.

Bonnie filled Caroline and Tyler in about everything but as expected they didn't have a clue of Jeremy, let alone Katherine. Elena asked about Damon already knowing what the answer would be but still she felt her hopes dying a little bit more when both confirmed they haven't seen him.

"I'm going to talk with Sheriff Forbes. It's been more than twenty-four hours since he was last seen," Elena offered defeated. She knew the police system didn't stand a chance fighting against the supernatural but they didn't know what else to do.

"We should still come to the prank. Maybe Katherine shows up. She knows there will be a lot of people here and it makes things easier for her to put her evil plans in action," the blond suggested and while nobody felt in the mood to actually come they went to their houses agreeing to come back to the school in a couple of hours.

Elena felt tempted to contact Damon again but she decided against it. She had been clear in her voicemail and texts and he was also making himself clear by ignoring her. The thought of something bad happening to him crossed her mind a few times during the day but she made sure to brush it off each time. At first it was easier to think he was taken by force but as time passed it became easier to think he was ignoring her rather than thinking he was in trouble. It didn't help her self-esteem but it definitely comforted her already broken heart.

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><p>The gang agreed to meet in Alaric's classroom before they took their separate ways and kept their eyes on everything around them. The history teacher brought his anti-vampire arsenal and the teenagers left the meeting with vervain darts and stakes but before she could turn another corner someone put their hand over her mouth and threw her backpack away leaving her without any weapons.<p>

"Exactly who I've been looking for. The doppelganger," Klaus whispered and for the second time that day Elena felt a shiver going through her body and once again her heart ached for Damon.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion since Klaus brought her to the gym and she met Stefan. Their last meeting in the parking lot still hurt but nothing could compare to what she witnessed. The way he killed those kids in front of her and how he transformed into a monster just before her eyes would be forever imprinted in her mind. He was acting coldly and detachedly and she couldn't recognize the man she loved under the black veins. Stefan never looked evil not even in his vampire form but now he seemed diabolical. The sarcasm and disregard in his voice wasn't like Damon's. She couldn't put her finger on the difference but somehow he seemed colder and darker than his brother. Actually he seemed worse than Klaus at some point. She wasn't prepared for that but it wasn't until later, after the Original turned Tyler into a hybrid that she saw the worse from her ex-boyfriend.

It seemed like things finally went out of Stefan's control and the last thread of humanity left on him was broken when Klaus kept talking about how close Elena and Damon became over the summer. Although the original didn't have any idea of the kiss Elena and Damon shared in his deathbed he insinuated lip locks and when Elena couldn't deny it she saw it happening just in front of her. Stefan was yelling at her face asking if she had kissed his brother while Klaus kept riling him up to kill Elena. The hybrid could easily kill her but he wanted Stefan to do it. He knew it would be the final test to prove Stefan really didn't have any humanity left on him.

The younger vampire was getting more and more worked up when Rebekah joined them informing that the Original Witch had confirmed that Elena needed to die. Klaus thought over the information his sister provided for less than a second before he jumped from his place and broke Stefan apart from Elena. The ripper was already draining his ex-girlfriend and if Klaus hadn't stopped him Elena would probably be dead.

"She has to live," he said before taking Elena in his arms and speeding away, leaving Stefan and Rebekah behind him.

* * *

><p>He would never forgive himself if something had happened to her. It became harder and harder for him to ignore the phone calls and texts but her voicemail actually did it. He was already on his way back when Jeremy texted him letting him know Klaus had broke into prank's night and he couldn't run fast enough from Georgia to arrive in Mystic Falls in time. Katherine had Jeremy's phone with her although he was being collaborative with her. But when she read Bonnie's latest text she knew she should let Damon know it. If something happened to his precious Elena he would go crazy and that would probably work against her plans.<p>

Damon should have never listened to Katherine in the first place. He should know by now that she only thought about herself. He was already pissed off at her when he found the younger Gilbert in her trunk. He would never allow her to harm Elena's brother but when she explained her plan and he actually saw Jeremy talking to Anna he decided to give it a chance. Elena's voicemail didn't arrive much later than that but it took him a while to decide to head back to Mystic Falls, not before threatening to go after her until hell if he had to, in case Katherine did something to Jeremy.

And when he was half way back and found about Klaus he actually felt his heart dropping in his chest. He never felt so stupid and afraid in his undead life. What if the original hurt Elena? What if he did worse? It didn't help him when he called her nonstop but she wouldn't pick up her phone. He would never forgive himself. Actually he didn't think he'd live another minute if she died because he left with Katherine.

He passed by the hospital by chance when he heard Klaus talking to Rebekah. Wherever Klaus were, danger was as well and he knew he had to face the original off if he wanted to know where Elena was. Bonnie had finally answered her phone letting him know that it seemed like Klaus saved Elena from being killed by Stefan and he couldn't really believe the witch's words. There was no way Stefan would kill Elena. Damon knew his brother loved her and he knew Stefan tried to protect her from Klaus while they were painting the country red. Elena told him about their meeting in Stefan's secret place at his Chicago apartment. He also knew Stefan said what he said that night to make her walk away from him and prevent Klaus from knowing about her. There was no way Stefan would try to kill her unless… Unless he reached the bottom again. He could still see some of his brother when they talked, a few glimpses now and then but maybe Stefan finally lost it completely. And in that moment he made a promise to himself that he would never break. And he would let her know about it as soon as he found her.

"Where's she?" Damon asked as he walked into the hospital's parking lot, seeing Klaus heading to the building.

"Elena? She's making a donation to a greater cause," Klaus replied cynically.

"I'm going to get her," Damon said walking by the original but the older vampire wasn't done with Elena yet.

"Just like you were there when your brother almost drained her dry?" Klaus said and he knew the guilt would eat Damon away.

"What do you want with my brother?"

"I don't feel in the mood of sharing my plans with you. As you may have noticed I chose the younger Salvatore brother, have to keep the tradition going, isn't that what everybody does anyway?" Klaus said with amuse on his voice, actually offering a smile.

"I'm getting Elena," Damon ignored the hurtful remarks and marched towards the hospital.

"Nah, nah," Klaus smirked moving his index finger negatively.

"You'll have to kill me to stop me," Damon challenged although he knew Klaus didn't need more than a second to kill him.

"I had a deal with your brother to keep you alive but seeing how he didn't spare even the woman he loved enough to bring his humanity back I don't think he'll mind if I don't keep my word," Klaus threatened in his characteristic easygoing way.

"Mikael is coming for you," Damon said as Klaus nearly strangled him with his hands.

"What are you talking about? You're bluffing," the original answered but Damon caught the change in his demeanor.

"Katherine made acquaintance with him this morning in the cemetery in Charlotte," Damon gasped and before he knew, he felt his body being thrown against a tree and just like that Klaus was gone.

* * *

><p>Damon made his way through the hospital corridors and it didn't take him long to finally find her in a stretcher. She looked pale and he could see a IV wire attached to her arm. He couldn't say if she received or donated blood but remembering Klaus' words of moments ago he knew the answer.<p>

"Damon?" she whispered as she woke up. Her voice weak, barely above a whisper.

He looked at her and he felt even more heartbroken. He didn't waste any time before taking her in his arms, feeling her own wrapping around his neck. There was a mix of emotions going through his heart. Fear, relief, guilt, rage but mainly love. He couldn't stop his heart from beating stronger when she was in his arms.

He brought her back to the boarding house after he contacted Alaric on his way there, saying she was safe and that he would take her home. But he didn't want to go straight to the Gilbert's house. He wanted to have a private conversation with Elena before leaving her under the teacher's watch for the night. She needed to recover and he knew she was safer in her own house than his.

He poured a shot of bourbon for her "Hey, have some bourbon. It'll help you forget," he gave her the tumbler and watched as she winced as soon as the amber liquid made contact with her lips.

"Yeah, it's strong. You know I can help you forget, too. At least the memories you don't want to keep," he added while she put the drink away and she promptly realized what he meant.

"No," she said with determination, "No compulsion…" she continued, "I need to remember all of it," she completed remembering the words he asked her in her bedroom a few nights ago.

Damon also recollected his words and although it broke his heart to see her hurting like he'd learned his lesson about respecting her wishes. If he was still selfish he would want her to remember what Stefan did to her that night but he also knew it had hurt her deeply. And he'd rather be hurt than see her in pain but he wouldn't do anything against her will.

"I stole it back for you," he offered as he showed her the necklace. The same necklace she couldn't stop wearing because it was a token of her love for his brother. He knew it meant a lot for her and he made sure to take it from Katherine when she let her guard down for a moment.

Elena looked at the necklace and the object hanging in front of her also reminded her of the man she thought she loved.

"He's really gone this time. I watched it happen. After everything that we went through to get… to help him. Now he's just… gone," she said and she had a hard time believing the words leaving her mouth. She knew for sure she wouldn't believe them if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, if Stefan hadn't tried to kill her.

Damon put the necklace away and looking at him she remembered Bonnie's words. Katherine stole the necklace and if Damon had it, it meant her suspicions were right. He had left with Katherine indeed and she couldn't take the pain in her heart anymore.

"Where were you, Damon?" she asked sounding more vulnerable than he could remember and he almost had to look away when he noticed her eyes glossing with tears. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to her question but she couldn't keep those feelings inside of her anymore. She was too exhausted of fighting everything. She should focus on the things she couldn't stop fight and just surrender to those that wouldn't get her or her friends killed.

"I shouldn't have left," he added with sorrow and guilt on his face and she looked at her hands confirming it had hurt her.

He couldn't stop himself seeing her like that and reaching for her hand he promised her what he had already promised himself, "I promise you. I will _never_ leave you again," he said while his hand rested on hers while their eyes were locked.

Elena couldn't bring herself to actually say something because she didn't know what her words would be. She barely nodded her head affirmatively feeling relief taking over her body. She knew she could trust his word.

"Oh, isn't this cozy?" Stefan's voice broke through the den.

"What are you doing here, Brother?" Damon said as he stood up.

"Last I checked… I live here," Stefan said as he walked to the drinks cart and poured him a glass of bourbon. "Klaus is gone but he's asked me to keep watching on you until he returns. From now on, you're under my protection," he completed pointing to Elena who looked dumbfounded by his words. He had tried to kill her earlier that night and now she was supposed to believe he was there to protect her.

"By all means, carry on," he said taking his drink and leaving a confused Elena and a suspicious Damon behind him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'll have some scenes from the show in the next couple of updates just like I had here because first: 1) I love them 2) They're needed. But I don't plan to make this story a version of the TV episodes. I'll write things my way but what I think is useful, creative and good, I'll eventually add. And just to make it clear, Stefan was never compelled in my version of the events. Everything he did was on his own accord. He just reached the bottom on his own accord although Klaus is to blame for most of it, but not to the point where Stefan is compelled.<em>

_I also wanted to have this chapter posted since last week but you know, it's Christmas time and Daniela is very busy, so I already apologize for the many grammar mistakes you found. As you know English isn't my first language and this chapter wasn't beta-edited._

_Anyway, thanks a lot **Daniela** for trying to do it for me, even though it wasn't possible. I also want to thank the reviews. they make me happy.  
><em>

_Next: Elena is jealous of Rebekah and of course I wrote everything that went through her mind as she watched Damon playing his part of the plan and the first aid scene is reloaded and hopefully more intimate than the show's and of course plenty of information from Damon and Elena's povs._

_Have a happy new year,_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	3. II

.

II

He felt like something had changed between them, but he wouldn't push her enough to confirm his suspicions. There was still a chance it was only an impression - a wrong one, and that what really changed was how she saw his brother and that wouldn't be enough for him. Damon was somewhat comfortable with their friendship. Ever since he had entered that car with Katherine, he'd been thinking that it would be better to have Elena by his side in the way she wanted, rather than not having her at all. He preferred to ignore the pain of being close to her but never close enough, rather than increasing the distance between them. His heart still ached in his chest every time he saw her. It seemed like she became more and more beautiful as each day passed and it only made his feelings for her grow.

But was there really a chance for them to move to something more than friendship? He had always been an expert in the art of seduction and he could see the hints miles away from a woman that wanted him but he wasn't certain about what was going on between Elena and him. But there was one thing that he knew had changed, for sure: her pain increased. He was the reason why his brother wasn't there fulfilling his duty as a perfect boyfriend. It was his fault Elena spent nights crying because of Stefan. She didn't know he came to check on her every night. More than once a night. He never stayed longer than a few minutes. He just needed to know she was fine. He knew she wasn't. Some nights she would just write in her journal. Other nights she would read, listen to music or do whatever she could to distract herself from the horrible world she had been introduced to. But many nights, she just cried silently. He wondered if all those nights were about his brother. She had lost her biological parents and her aunt in a ridiculously short time spam. She had lost too much and Stefan would be the rock she needed if he hadn't taken him away from her.

He knew she would have been hurt if she had lost him because of the werewolf bite, but at least she would have Stefan by her side to comfort her. Damon had never been good with feelings, not his and definitely not other people's. He always found a way to mess things up and get everyone hurt. It was a vicious cycle he didn't know how to break, and he'd rather see her hurting for losing him than seeing the pain he'd seen in her eyes when he killed her brother. He couldn't stop himself from being reckless because he didn't know how to do it. The reason he left wasn't because he didn't accept that Elena wanted him to be someone else. He left because _he knew_ he needed to be someone else for her. But, no matter how hard he tried, he always ended up hurting her, just like he did when he decided to leave with Katherine. Elena had the biggest heart, and he knew how sensitive she was under the thick shelter of strength she used to get out of bed every morning. It was admirable how she handled so many emotions, most of them bad ones, at such an early age, with a brave look in her face. She was much stronger and mature than he'd ever be when it came to feelings, and that also stopped him from acting on his feelings for her. It wasn't fair to his brother and it wasn't fair to her.

But, he would still do the best he could to make her happy and to do everything she needed him to do. _Even if that makes me even more of a selfish jerk,_ he thought as he stepped into Alaric's building. What Damon completely failed to notice though was how exposing his heart to such a great pain made him quite the opposite. He was willing to sacrifice everything for Elena and that including twisting the knife on the wound she left on his heart every time he was around her. He couldn't not be around her when she called him.

"So that's your plan, Buffy? Work out some sweat to bring down big, bad vampires?" he smirked as he entered his ex-best friend's apartment.

"Stefan really lost it. Can you believe he called me a human blood bag today? Why is Stefan even following Klaus' orders?"

"He's high on blood, Elena, his humanity is gone, all he cares about is blood," Damon said as he tried to keep his eyes away of her sweating body. She looked too tempting even for his self-control, so instead of approaching her, he started to check the weapons Alaric left on his table.

"But if I understand it correctly, only Klaus can have my blood. Why would he agree to stay here and protect me?" she said as she pushed the bar over her head.

"Maybe Klaus compelled him to stay?"

"I think we should lock him up, just like we did last time," she added frustrated but he could catch the tiny hope in her eyes.

"This isn't rehab stint, Elena. Stefan lost it, he's too far gone," Damon explained but Elena didn't budge.

"Then do it for me, Damon. Every single time I look at him, I feel like I'm going to break." she pleaded and his heart ached knowing she still loved his brother that much. She was almost begging him to do it and he couldn't say 'no' to her, even when it broke him over and over again. He knew that was a dangerous territory, and that it would inevitably lead him to snap at some point and hurt her -directly or indirectly, but he couldn't bring himself to deny her anything. He would find a way to release his frustration without getting anyone hurt or killed when the flood of emotions become too much for him to handle.

She was turning on her heels and he took her wrist, turning her back to him and placing her hand against his chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked and he could swear she was a little bit flushed. But he once again fought the wishes that kept clouding his right assessment of reality.

"Feel that? It's the sternum. Solid plate of bone," he said controlling the emotion on his voice the best he could. Even if he was the one forcing the contact, her palm against the little bit of his skin that his unbuttoned V-neck shirt exposed made his heart rush. At least the bone she was touching would prevent her from feeling his pulse.

Elena was still registering his words when he whipped her around and pressed her body against his. It was her turn to feel her heart racing in her chest, and although she hadn't noticed his, Damon could definitely feel her pulse rising. She didn't know how to make it stop. She just hoped he thought it was because she was startled by his sudden movements. But then what would explain her heart beating even faster when she felt his fingers touching her side?

"Right here, just below the ribcage, next to the spine, that's your way to a vampire's heart" he whispered in her ear "I'll do whatever it is you need me to do, Elena" he removed his hand from her skin and he moved his head away from her, breathing in the citrusy smell of her shampoo.

Elena felt her ragged breath catching in her throat. There was no way he didn't realize the effect he had on her. Actually there was no way for her to keep pretending that her body didn't respond to his every touch and emotion-filled word.

"No one is going to hurt you. Especially not my brother," he added while she was still barely managing to take air into her lungs. She couldn't stop her body from getting closer to his again. It was like he was a magnet and every cell of her body was made of steel. But before she crossed the line that she kept drawing between them, he moved to take a stake from the table by his side.

"Keep working out, Warrior Princess," he said with a smirk, but not the over-confident she was used to. He looked almost uncomfortable as he walked away, saying she could call if she needed him.

* * *

><p>"So my part in the incredible, amazing plan to lock up my brother for nothing is to seduce Barbie Klaus?" Damon asked in Alaric's classroom. Elena, Caroline and the teacher were there to check if they had covered everything in their plan.<p>

"She's a key player here, we can't let her suspect anything," Elena stressed and Damon knew she was right.

"A plan B wouldn't hurt," Alaric said clearly disapproving Damon's participation in the plan.

"Are you ever not going to be mad at me, Ric?" Damon asked trying to cover his true emotions. He truly missed his best friend... his only friend, actually. The thing he had with Elena was too complicated to be simply labeled as friendship. He knew it was like that for her, but he kept balancing between the lines of friendship, attraction, love and sanity.

"Doubtful," the teacher answer bitterly.

"You're just jealous of my charm," he winked at the taller man who rolled his eyes, showing his genuine annoyance.

"Sorry I'm late. What's going on?" Tyler said as he entered the room.

"We need you to raid your mom's vervain supply. Enough to keep Stefan down for a while," Elena suggested but the hybrid promptly protested.

"You can't do that to Stefan."

"Trust me, Tyler. It's in his best interest," Elena explained, and Damon could catch the emotions in her voice. In moments like this, in the smallest details, he knew he would never have a chance with her.

"Yeah. It's not in Klaus'," he insisted.

"Uh-oh," Damon said analyzing Tyler closer.

"But Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler," Caroline tried to explain the obvious to her boyfriend.

"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline. I owe him everything," Tyler retorted. Everyone in the room was shocked by his behavior, except for Damon who got a dart from the table and before Tyler can say anything else, injected the wolf bane on his back.

"What are you doing?" Caroline shrieked as she kneeled in front of her now unconscious boyfriend.

"He's been sired. He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus's blood created him. He'll seek acceptance from his master. It's really rare. But, maybe not so much in hybrids," Damon casually commented as he walked from the room, leaving them even more shocked behind him.

* * *

><p>Rebekah sat by one of the benches, frustrated by the pointless barbecued marshmallow thing teenagers seemed to love in the new century. She definitely approved of the new clothes, especially the short skirts and the boxer briefs. And cheerleading was actually fun. But what was the point of ruining a perfect, yummy marshmallow by crisping it out until it looked like charcoal? Still irritated by her failed experience, she was surprised by Damon sitting by her side<p>

"What? No friends your own age?" she with a small smile. She didn't dislike the older Salvatore brother. He was definitely good on the eyes, but she was still dealing with Stefan ignoring her.

"Like you can talk," he said, watching her blowing out the marshmallow she'd been roasting.

"Is this supposed to be fun? I've been through ten of these," she breathed out, frustrated.

"No, you're just looking at it all wrong. This is a little rough on the outside," he took the twig from her hand and, reaching for the sweet, he took the burned part from it, exposing the hot, melted inside.

"But the inside... Yummy," he offered, bringing it to her mouth and watching as she ate it.

Rebekah turned to look at him again. She hadn't pegged him for a sweet guy. He'd seemed quite reckless from the stories Stefan told her in the twenties, and meeting the real thing hadn't made her think any differently. But she actually enjoyed someone being sweet and giving her attention. Were Katherine and Elena wrong, thinking he wasn't the most interesting brother?

"Hmm, it's good," she said licking her fingers and seeing him do the same in front of her. Add charming to the bunch and she knew for sure which Salvatore brother she would bed that night.

"Yep," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

Elena watched the whole exchange. She couldn't keep the small smile from appearing her face. Although, she had to admit that she couldn't remove the frown from her forehead either.

She had seen Damon in action - with Rose, Andie and even Caroline. He was rough, flirty, charming and definitely not shy… but she never thought he could be sweet. That made her heart flutter, and for a moment she actually daydreamed a little bit about him. She knew he was Stefan's polar opposite and while sweetness was something her ex-boyfriend generally exuded, it was completely different from the way that Damon showed it. Stefan was cheesy while Damon looked simply… sweet. It was something natural and something any girl would appreciate. That was when she noticed how Rebekah was looking back at him. The blond was definitely enjoying the attention and Elena couldn't blame her. Soft and romantic, Damon looked irresistible- even more than the marshmallows they kept eating. And when Damon started touching the Original, Elena thought she would lose it. It wasn't a seductive touch either. It was delicate, it was subtle, it was gentle. He removed something from her cheek and the look in his eyes almost made Elena walk over there and make him stop. The alcohol in her blood making it only harder for her to stay put. But, thankfully, she was sober enough to walk away while she still could. Stefan. She should think about Stefan. That was why Damon had to charm Rebekah in the first place. Taking one more look at the pair ahead of her, she took a deep breath and left.

And that was when hell broke loose. Their plan was going pretty well – _except for the marshmallow part_, she thought – when she and Alaric moved Stefan to the teacher's car. But, at the last minute the car was on fire with Stefan and Elena inside. It was terrifying, but thankfully the vervain darts didn't keep the vampire out for too long and he had been strong enough to break the car's trunk and get them out of it.

The brunette couldn't feel any more frustrated about how everything went. Stefan was still free and now he knew what they planned to do and he would certainly make it harder for them to lock him up. The only thing that made seeing Damon and Rebekah all over each other, as if they were some lovey, dopey couple was the prospect of locking Stefan up. But, now even that was lost with their unsuccessful plan.

* * *

><p>When she entered the house with Alaric, and Stefan tagged along, she was relieved to find Damon in the den. She was especially happy to find him alone, especially now that Rebekah lived with him. She couldn't deny that she'd spent the whole ride to the boarding house thinking of what she would find there. Alaric couldn't understand why she wanted to go there before going home, so she used Stefan as an excuse. The teacher didn't buy it, but he let it go. Elena needed to know how things had progressed between Damon and Rebekah. She didn't trust the blond, and she didn't want Damon to get hurt. Or at least that was what she kept saying to herself to justify her actions. What else could it be?<p>

"What happened?" Damon asked when she saw Elena's scratches.

"Elena's always so successful plans happened," Stefan answered sarcastically, moving to the drinks cart and pouring down some whiskey to himself.

"Can I take a shower here?" she asked and Damon only nodded, watching as she left the three men in the den.

"What happened?" Damon turned to Alaric, who, although was in no mood to talk to his former friend, put his feelings aside and explained how his car ended up on fire and that Elena almost died.

Damon felt his heart clenching at the possibility of Elena dying, and even though he knew the ten minutes Alaric used to go through all the questions the vampire posed wasn't enough for her to shower, he made his way upstairs to check on Elena. His first guess of where she would be taking her shower was off the target. He expected her to be in any of the guest rooms, or maybe even not a private bathroom, but as he walked through the right wing of the house, he knew she wasn't anywhere in that side.

Walking to the second floor's left side, he couldn't have been more surprised when he realized the shower noise was coming from his own bedroom. He could have been his usual self and enter his bedroom, making her nervous and angry, even if he kept his back to the shower and waited for her to come out, but he knew she had been through a bad day. He knew how she was doing everything in her power to help Stefan and to rescue him. It made him both sad and happy. He felt happy for his brother. He still had a long way to go in his relationship with him, but he didn't wish Stefan any harm. He even wanted his baby bro to be happy, and he knew that included Elena. But he was also sad, knowing that although they made progress and were closer than they had ever been, it would always be Stefan for Elena.

* * *

><p>It took her another twenty minutes before Damon could hear her stepping out of his private bathroom. He was casually leaning against the door to his bedroom, with one of his feet propped against the door and his arms crossed. When he heard her jeans zipper going up, he didn't think twice before entering the room. He knew she could still be in only her bra or even nothing from the waist up but there was just so much Damon could hold back. It was who he was after all.<p>

"I hope you don't mind…" she simply offered, while her back was still turned to him. She knew it was him.

"Not at all," Damon answered while he watched her wrapping the towel around her damp hair.

"Is Alaric still waiting for me?" she asked turning to look at him.

"I don't know. I wasn't downstairs," he answered, quietly appraising her bruised face. "Give me a moment," he said before leaving the room. When he got back, she was standing in front of his bathroom mirror, combing her hair.

"I hope you don't mind this either," she looked at him through the mirror, showing his comb and he only smiled tightly back at her. He could have lost her, and no matter how many times he went through that, every single time he felt a suffocating pain in his chest. He didn't want to think what would have happened if any of those days he or anyone else failed in saving her. He couldn't afford to think it without going crazy.

"Let me take care of it," he raised his eyebrows towards the first aid kit in his hand.

"No, Damon, you don't need to. I can do it by myself" she turned to look at what he held and turned back to the mirror, also appraising her small bruises.

"You almost got barbecued today, Elena. The least I can do it apply first aid," he said moving his arm around her so he could apply the medicine on her cheek still standing behind her and watching his hand movements in the mirror ahead of them. Elena could feel his body almost touching her back and she could barely breathe while he so tenderly took care of her. It reminded her of the sweet guy she saw with Rebekah. It reminded her that there were so many things she didn't know about the vampire behind her.

"You played your part of the plan really well tonight," she said looking at his attentive eyes, fixed on the work of his hands on her skin through the mirror ahead of them.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, looking at her, trying to figure out what she meant by it.

"You had Rebekah drooling all over you and your marshmallows," she said trying to sound approving of his actions although her facial expressions showed how much it bothered her.

"Yeah, before she skewered me. I thought you were too drunk to notice," he smirked slightly, applying more medicine to the swab in his hand.

"I was faking most of it," Elena admitted, looking at him intently before she looked away. She was playing with fire being that close to Damon and looking at him like that made it almost impossible to ignore her body's urges.

"So was I," he spoke softly, bringing Elena's attention back to his eyes through the mirror.

Damon moved his own gaze from the bruise on her face to her eyes and held it for a few seconds.

Elena couldn't look away either, and she could feel his body getting even closer to hers; she could swear she felt a faint contact between them.

"You seem surprised," he added, looking away back to the medicine in his hand.

"So do you," she whispered and they found themselves lost in each other's eyes again.

"All done," he said, offering a small smile while he took a step away. He didn't know what she meant with those words. Was she implying he shouldn't be surprised she noticed how he tried to seduce Rebekah? Or did she mean the reaction she had when he admitted faking the whole ordeal? Of course he should be surprised at how she looked when he admitted he didn't mean anything he did with Rebekah. After all, why should it bother her? Wasn't it her idea in the first place?

"I'll see if Alaric is still around," she offered turning around.

"Okay," he added in a velvet voice.

"Thank you, Damon," she said softly, stepping closer to him and kissing his cheek tenderly.

She never planned to do it and she definitely didn't plan to hold her position and her lingering stare once she broke the contact between their skin. It was almost as if she was waiting for him to close the barely there distance between them. But, coming to her senses before something happened, she offered a small smile. Placing his comb back on the sink, she finally walked away, leaving a mesmerized Damon behind her.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know this is a big copy-cat thing. But the Warrior Princess and the first aid scenes are some of my all time fave DE scenes. I wanted those scenes to be part of this story because I wanted to add what they were thinking and and feeling throughout them. Next chapter doesn't have one single scene from the show (although IV will have, how could I not reprise the last DE in 3x09?) but the background and the events (that I don't write) pretty much happen here too. First, I added a ghost they excluded (one of my fave characters in the show) and that ghost is going to have a very enlightening conversation with Elena. I can't wait to be done with ch IV so I can bring you guys something totally original and different from the show.<br>_

_I also wanted to confirm Stefan's comment about Elena being jealous of Damon and Rebekah but I didn't want Stefan to be part of it. This chapter was about showing how they feel about some changes in their relationship and the next is going to explore those feelings but not like we all want. Not yet. Oh and I added the "you seem surprised" quote because of it in 2x01. If you guys remember it, you know why I wanted it to go full circle for them.  
><em>

_Thanks a lot to my new beta, **Nymphadora**, she made a great job with this chapter. Also big thanks to my reviewers!_

_Happy New Year, guys. I hope 2012 treat you well. All of you :)_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	4. III

.

**III**

* * *

><p>As if dealing with her brother seeing ghosts wasn't bad enough, now everyone could see them. And touch them. And be touched… or tortured by them. And some of them were mad.<p>

When she heard the yelling coming from inside the boarding house she got panicked. She knew it was Damon's voice and it could be Stefan who was hurting him, or even worse, but she definitely didn't expect it to be Mason Lockwood's ghost torturing Damon in a chair. Damon was chained down with a big skewer stuck on his chest, too close to his heart for her liking. But he wasn't yelling because of the wood impaling him. It was the daylight coming from the window ahead of him that was making the pain excruciating.

"Oh my God, Damon, what happened?" Elena asked as she entered the library, and headed straight to the window, closing the curtains.

"Get out," Damon coughed, while she tried to remove the stick from his chest.

"What?" she asked confused as she saw the deep wounds on his skin.

"Somehow Mason Lockwood is here, get out," Damon gasped but Elena didn't move, instead she employed all her strength to remove the wood from him, but it was too deep, and she was too nervous. She was nearly crying to actually be strong enough.

"I'll be right back," she said, running away from the library as fast as she could. Could it be possible that he had been exposed to the sun for too long, and it had affected his brain? What did he mean by Mason Lockwood? She hadn't heard his cries when she'd stepped out of her car. No, they had started on her way to the front door, and it hadn't taken longer than thirty seconds to reach him. But Elena's experience with Isobel told her that it required far less than that to kill a vampire. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face as she moved her legs hastily. She couldn't lose Damon.

When she reached the basement she stopped, and took a deep breath. She had closed the curtains, he was no longer in danger, and she was positive the skewer in his chest wasn't going to kill him. She waited a while, for her heart to calm down, and her tears to stop. On her way to the library, she spotted the first aid kit Damon had taken the Betadine from to clean her bruise the other day. She needed to bright up a little bit.

"You know those will heal themselves, don't you?" he offered as she entered the room a couple of minutes later with the kit.

"You almost got barbecued today, the least I can do is apply first aid," she smirked, repeating his words from a couple of nights ago.

"Except that I don't need it," he grimaced, most of his wounds yet to heal.

"But I do," she looked at him, and once again they found themselves locking eyes. "Let me take care of you, Damon. You always do that for me," she said breaking their connection when she looked away.

"Okay," he whispered quietly. "Maybe you could start with the skewer, before you go all Nurse Elena on me?" he quipped, and she smiled at him instead of rolling her eyes like she used to do when he'd the witty smart ass that he was.

"I'm not going to apply Betadine," she offered a sweet smile before taking the blood bag she brought from the refrigerator.

She moved the blood to his mouth, and adjusted it the best she could so he could drink from it.

"You were never this kinky with me," Stefan interrupted, entering the room.

"Would you please help me with these chains? I can't remove them by myself, and he's still too weak, he was vervained," Elena explained, while she rolled her eyes at her ex-boyfriend.

"Why would I? My brother is into this stuff… maybe you should try a whip too. With vervain, of course," the blond vampire crossed his arms on his chest, leaning on the doorframe.

"Stefan…" Damon said through his teeth. He wasn't enjoying the pain at all. He wasn't a masochist. Actually, his brother had no idea what his sexual preferences were, and he was thankful for that. That wasn't something he'd like to share with any man in the world, especially not his brother.

"Can you please stop being an asshole for just a minute? I know it's all part of your new image, but Damon is actually hurting here," Elena nearly yelled at the younger Salvatore, gesturing her hands in the air as she spoke.

"Okay, no need to get your panties in knots," he winked at her before moving to where Damon was. He removed the skewer, and pulled the chains from one of his hands.

"He can handle it now," he offered to Elena before turning around, and leaving the room.

"Ugh! I can't deal with him for one more second! But, I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down," she ranted; as she tried in vain to remove the chain from Damon's other wrist.

"Hey, calm down," he used his free hand to reach her cheek, "Don't let him get to you," his voice was soft and low, and Elena actually stopped to look at him. It was like time itself had stopped as well. There was nothing and no one else in the world while her eyes were locked on his. She could get lost in those eyes. There were so many emotions showing there. There were so many things she wanted to discover, to explore, to venture deeper into. But those intimate moments between the two of them were killing her little by little. She didn't know what to do with herself when they were this close. There were so many contradictory emotions inside of her, and she didn't know which ones she should listen to.

"It's just…" she answered while her eyes kept on him, "What if I didn't arrive when I did? Isobel was an undead torch in much less time than it took for me to get here… what if…" she tried to talk, but her bottom lip was quivering too much for her to keep going without breaking down in front of him. She was almost reaching her breaking point, and she knew it wouldn't be pretty when she did. She couldn't keep a brave face when things around her kept going from bad to worse. Especially when it was Damon's life that was on the line.

"I'm here, aren't I? Mason tied me up last night and my ring is on the floor. I don't think he was planning on killing me. At least… not yet. I'm not going anywhere, not now, not ever, Elena," he kept his free hand caressing her hair.

"You can't promise me that, Damon. Nobody can," she added defeated, and he felt his heart dropping for her in his chest.

"I'm still here. It isn't that easy to get rid of an asshole like me," he smirked, but it didn't carry his usual arrogance. He sounded almost sad.

"I'll get you another blood bag," she added stepping away from him before leading to the basement.

"And Elena?" he called.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for saving me," he smiled softly at her, and she nodded her head in return before leaving the library.

* * *

><p>The day certainly had more surprises for them and Elena was thankful for at least one of the ghosts: Lexi. She captured Stefan, and Elena hadn't felt so relieved in a long, long time. She was also happy to know that Mason Lockwood indeed didn't want to kill Damon, but only wanted an apology, and to find a way to help his nephew be freed of Klaus' grip. And Damon himself was relieved when another ghost decided to keep him company, especially while he explored the Lockwood's dungeon with Mason.<p>

"Thanks for the backup," Damon looked upwards, although he didn't know who he should be thanking for her presence.

"What kind of unfinished business do you have with Damon Salvatore?" the werewolf asked the vampire who was walking with them inside the cave.

"Thankfulness," Rose smiled brightly at the other vampire, who couldn't hide his discomfort. Damon was much more comfortable being the bad boy than dealing with people thanking him for showing his humanity.

"So it means you weren't lost, stranded like the rest of us?" Mason asked, surprised with her answer.

"No, I'm at peace," she offered quietly.

"So what exactly are we doing here?" Damon asked, but Mason preferred to ignore the question, and say he would see with his own eyes.

"I don't have a clue," Rose answered simply, and, although he was uneasy, Damon decided to keep following the former surfer.

"I'm sorry about Stefan," she said, reaching for Damon's arm, squeezing it lightly.

"Why?"

"Because I know you're hurting, I know you care," Rose whispered.

"I'm not hurting. It's my fault he's off the rails again. Elena is about to explode. I don't think she can keep it going for much longer if he isn't fixed, but the thing is I don't know if he can be fixed," the vampire answered angrily. He still blamed himself for his brother's situation, and he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact it was his fault Elena was going through so much pain.

"Everyone can," Mason jumped into the vampires' conversation.

"I already had my heart to heart with you today, don't push it," Damon offered seriously, leading both ghosts to chuckle at him.

"If you can call that a heart to heart…" Mason smirked while he kept walking, leading their way.

"You wanted an apology, I gave you one," Damon shrugged, while Rose shook her head slightly.

"It seems like Lexi is doing her thing with him, so maybe there's a way," the female vampire said, and Damon actually frowned.

"Is Lexi here too?" Damon asked surprised.

"Don't worry; she won't come to kick your ass. That was my right," Mason smirked once again.

"So there isn't a line of dead people waiting to stake me? Who should I thank for this? It's not like I don't have hundreds of skeletons in my closet," Damon quipped, and Rose actually felt for him. She knew he regretted many things, although he would do many of them again as long as it meant Elena and Stefan were safe.

"Do you think it'll work?" Rose asked, as they kept going deeper and deeper into the dungeon.

"What? Lexi's method?" the Salvatore brother asked, and when Rose confirmed it he shook his head.

"She took nearly a decade the first time around, only to have him regressing less than a decade later. Last time it was twenty-five years locked up and almost the same amount of time readapting," Damon sighed, frustrated.

"I thought you didn't care?" Mason quipped, and Damon had to take a deep breath to prevent himself from attacking the werewolf.

"How is Elena?"

"I thought you could see things?"

"Where I was I couldn't. I don't even know for sure why I'm here. I'm receiving orders as time goes. I know about Lexi and Stefan because I saw them before I came here," the vampire offered. Damon wanted to feel more relieved about Lexi's presence, but he knew it wouldn't help Stefan like Elena hoped it would.

"Wasn't Elena with them?"

"Probably, but I didn't see her," she explained and while he wanted to ask how it worked, he knew it wouldn't make much difference.

"She's coping the best she can. Stefan can be… difficult when he's on human blood," Damon explained, and Rose knew it was much worse than he let show. She could see through his attempt at masking the emotions his brother's condition caused him.

"What if Lexi's plan doesn't work?"

"At least we can keep him locked up," Damon shrugged, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

"Do you think you're okay here?" she asked tilting her head slightly towards the werewolf walking ahead of them.

"Yeah… he's a softie," Damon smirked sarcastically.

"I heard that Salvatore," Mason said, slightly annoyed.

"I have something else I have to do. I don't know how long I still have so I better do whatever I'm supposed to do," Rose explained, and Damon actually lamented it. She was the only person he could say had cared about him in the past few decades besides Alaric and Elena. He had already messed up with the history teacher, and it made the hole Rose left that much bigger.

"I'm glad you found peace," he offered with a small, sincere smile.

"I met them, you were right," she remembered the conversation they had while he made her dream about her homeland.

"Am I not ever right?" he quipped, and she smiled softly at him.

"Thanks for everything," she said stopping on her tracks before wrapping her arms around him.

"And you call me the softie? Watch your humanity, Damon," Mason smirked provocatively, and Damon had to remind himself again that he couldn't kill a ghost, the odds were against him in that case so he just stayed quiet.

* * *

><p>Elena couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. She'd never imagined that Lexi helped Stefan by torturing him like that. It was almost too much to take, and she wondered if she would be able to do it. The ghost didn't know how long she would be around, and she tried to explain everything she could for Elena to follow, in case she was gone before Stefan made it. But Elena needed a break from everything. It was too much, and she didn't know if her stomach would keep the little food she had in it.<p>

"Elena!" someone called her as soon as she stepped outside.

"Rose?" the brunette asked, surprised, although she shouldn't be. Mason, Anna, Vicki, Lexi. Why not Rose?

"Hey," the vampire said, almost shyly.

Elena only smiled at her. She didn't know what Rose could possibly want with her.

"How is he? Stefan," the vampire looked towards the entrance of where Lexi was still torturing Stefan.

"Difficult," Elena sighed tiredly, and started walking away, although she meant for Rose to follow her.

"Damon used just the same word," Rose pointed out, and Elena actually smiled at the coincidence.

"Did you see him already?" Elena asked casually, or at least trying to make it sound that way. She knew Damon cared about Rose more than anyone he met in a long time, and she had seen with her own eyes how the vampire's death affected him. She knew she shouldn't feel like that, but there was a sting in her chest as she thought about the way the two vampires had looked so close and intimate in his bedroom.

"Yes, I had to check on him with my own eyes," Rose smiled, and Elena forced one too.

"I suppose. I'd like to check on someone I cared about after… well, dying," Elena offered politely, but Rose saw right through her attempt.

"And how _are you_?" the vampire stressed knowing Elena couldn't be okay.

"I'm fine."

"That's not what Damon thinks," the ghost offered the human an understanding look.

"Damon doesn't know everything, although he thinks he does," Elena chuckled, and Rose actually let it go while they walked silently side by side towards the student's house.

Elena looked at the vampire, who seemed to be enjoying the cool breeze with her eyes closed. She didn't know a lot about Rose, but she knew Damon had been hurt a lot when he lost her. She knew they had something before Rose was bitten by Jules. She knew they had had a physical relationship, and that it meant more than just sex to Damon. But what hurt her the most was that the younger vampire actually opened up a little bit to the older one. They had a connection that made Elena jealous, and she didn't want to think that it was about Damon having sex with someone else. But then another thought crossed her mind. Maybe she could talk to Rose. She knew Bonnie and Caroline couldn't put their feelings for Damon aside, and would judge her before she said the first word. Alaric would probably try his luck at grounding her if she admitted whatever it was she felt for Damon, and her brother wasn't in the best frame of mind to talk about relationships. She needed to open up about it with someone, although Rose would probably be biased too. But unlike the others, Rose would be pro-Damon no matter what, and although Elena shouldn't rely on whatever Rose said, she would at least have some positive perspective to compare with all the negativity her friends would offer.

The vampire noticed Elena fidgeting with the hem of her top, and smiling softly she gave the little push she knew Elena still needed.

"How about we try it again?" Rose asked, and before Elena could ask what exactly she meant the vampire spoke again, "How are you?"

Elena took a deep breath, and thought a few more seconds about her options. She knew Rose was good at heart, and she would have really enjoyed getting to know her better. Maybe she could be a good friend? At least a good listener? No matter what Rose would say, Elena just needed to get those things off of her chest, and share them with someone else.

"Hurt, lost, grieving, confused," Elena offered, as she sat on the grass.

"Because of your brother?" Rose asked, although she suspected it had more to do with another raven-haired man.

"To be honest I only found out about the ghosts a couple of days ago," Elena confessed, and she actually felt guilty about it. Her brother needed her, but her mind was everywhere else.

"About Stefan?"

"Yeah…" Elena sighed heavily, and answered tiredly.

"Damon?" the vampire tried, and Elena thought a second before admitting it.

"Him too," she said unsure, and Rose actually smiled a little knowing the human wasn't looking at her to see it.

"You're very important for him," the ghost stated, and Elena looked up at her, almost surprised. She knew about Damon's feelings for her, but every time someone mentioned them, it made her heart flutter, and she still felt taken aback.

"I know," she confessed, and Rose nodded. It was definitely progress.

"And I know you more than care about him," she observed, remembering how Elena said all those months ago that she cared about Damon, but loved only Stefan.

"I know," Elena said, barely above a whisper, and she wondered if Rose still had heightened senses as a ghost because she was positive a human wouldn't make out the words she said.

"He won't let you get close enough, but you need to push him," the vampire explained, but Elena knew it already.

"I don't know if I can do it, Rose. It's already difficult from where we stand with each other," the teenager sighed, burying her head in her hands.

"You shouldn't fight it. He is amazing, do you know that?" the sympathy in Rose's voice actually made Elena look at the vampire, who held a tender look on her face.

"Just because I don't want to, doesn't mean I shouldn't," Elena said, almost shyly. It was the first time she was actually admitting to someone that she didn't want to keep fighting whatever it was that drew her to Damon.

"He's worth it, Elena," Rose offered.

"I know, trust me, I do know," the brunette answered, sounding almost frustrated.

"No, you don't."

"I know him!" Elena protested, almost offended by Rose's implication.

"Not enough. He keeps his walls as high as possible, especially around you," the vampire stated firmly.

"It's just… I'm not sure… and I don't want to hurt him," she said, actually getting teary, thinking of the possibility of hurting him more than she already did, even if she couldn't help who she had loved in the past.

"There's no way you won't."

"If I get closer I don't know if I can stop myself," the teenager sounded even more unsure of herself as she spoke.

"Are you afraid?" Rose frowned. She didn't expect Elena to be reluctant about not being able to stop herself.

"I don't want to be Katherine."

"And why would you be?"

"She destroyed them. They used to love each other, but when she came between them, they almost got each other killed. It took them fifteen decades to start making progress again," there was a mix of anger and regret in her voice, and Rose could finally understand why it was so hard for the human to act on her feelings. Rose knew Damon loved Stefan more than anyone else. She even suspected he loved his brother more than he loved the girl sitting by her side, and she admired Elena even more for considering it.

"I may not know you too well, Elena, but I know you aren't playing with their feelings, and I don't think you have any intention of keeping them both," she offered.

"Of course not!" Elena protested promptly.

"So you'll never be like her," the vampire concluded, but it wasn't enough for Elena.

"As I said I don't want to hurt him," Elena kept fighting. She knew she wouldn't be able to do it for much longer.

"As I also said, there's no way you won't hurt him. He loves you, and he ignores the consuming pain in his chest every time he's around you because he needs to make sure you're safe, protected and have your every wish granted," Rose added, and, although she didn't mean to make Elena feel guiltier, that was how the human felt.

"That's not fair to him," Elena confessed, feeling her own heart breaking for the man that loved her so much, and was so selfless about her.

"Is it fair to you?" Rose challenged.

"What do you mean?"

"To pretend like it doesn't hurt you too?"

"I don't pretend it doesn't," Elena admitted, and for the first time she actually cried because of it. It hurt too much for her to pretend or ignore. And it was exhausting, even more than seeing Stefan on a path to perdition, "I just don't let anyone know."

"What is holding you back, Elena?" Rose asked sympathetically. The teenager was actually thankful for the way the vampire didn't push, but tried to understand her.

"I _am _afraid," she finally admitted.

"Of him?" the ghost asked, surprised.

"No… I can't be afraid of him," Elena said with a genuine smile on her face, as she looked blankly ahead for a few seconds before resuming her serious expression, "I'm afraid of me… of us."

"Enlighten me,"

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself. I feel like we're two trains on their way to crash. I can't stop myself from being dragged to him and I feel like once we crash I won't be able to stop, I'll completely and utterly lose control," the girl said, among tears and laughter. It was the perfect metaphor. It was dangerous, it was thrilling, it was unstoppable, and it scared her to death.

"And why is having control so important?"

"Because, there's no way to come back if I go there. I know it'll change everything. There are a lot of things I have to take into consideration. There's Stefan, it'll break him. My friends will never approve or understand. And there's Damon. His heart has been shattered and glued together so many times," Elena confessed honestly, and desperately. She wished there was an easy way to follow her heart.

"What if you save him?"

"Do you think he needs to be saved?"

"I think he needed it once, but he doesn't anymore," Rose smiled, and Elena wondered what the vampire meant.

"I don't know if I can keep fighting the attraction much longer," the student sighed once again.

"Is that all this is about? Attraction?" Rose quirked one of her eyebrows, much like Damon did all the time.

"You know the answer," Elena deflected.

"I'm not the one who should," the vampire offered quietly.

"It's just… I never thought he could be sweet, tender even," Elena changed the subject, but not entirely. The night she saw Damon and Rebekah together had changed a lot of things inside of her.

"Trust me, the first class sex he offers isn't his best attribute though I thought nothing could be better than his skills in the bedroom," Rose chuckled lightly, "Don't let him know it, though."

"Is it that good?" Elena flushed. Sure, she remembered Caroline gushing about it while she was still compelled, and Katherine definitely dropped a comment or two, but there was no way she was going to ask either of them, and she was seriously curious to know the answer to that.

"He knows what he's doing," Rose smiled knowingly.

"It doesn't help my cause," the human looked helpless, but the smile on her face showed that she didn't actually want her cause to be helped.

"No, it doesn't," Rose chuckled, and Elena followed suit.

"I've lived for over five centuries, Elena, and I can assure you that I've never met anyone as sweet as Damon is when his mask falls," the vampire suddenly sounded all serious again.

"I don't understand why he keeps it up. Is he embarrassed of admitting he can be gentle? Will it ruin his bad vampire reputation?"

"No, but it'll break his heart, and when you have a heart as big as his, there are only so many times it can be broken before it destroys everything you are," Rose voiced one of Elena's biggest fears and it didn't help the human at all with the decision she had to make.

"It's not right, you know? It's not okay to love them both," Elena told Rose, remembering Katherine's words to her.

"No, it's not. But are you sure you do?"

"Do what?"

"Love them both?" Rose asked, but she didn't mean it like anyone could have thought at first. She was implying Elena didn't love one of the brothers, just not the obvious one.

"I…" Elena said, but she was startled by the vampire suddenly standing up.

"My time is up, they're calling me," Rose explained as she looked around her.

"What? Why?" Elena asked confused.

"I don't know, but I have to go."

"Thanks for coming," Elena offered, and she didn't know if she should give the vampire a hug or not. She wanted to, but, then again, she and Rose were never close.

"Focus on what you can fix, and leave the things you can't for those who can," the vampire offered cryptically, but before Elena could even register what she meant, Rose was gone.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm so excited the show is back! I could barely wait. And while the episode wasn't one of my faves, I liked others much better, especially this season, but the very ending made up for the whole episode. Brush that, the whole season! But I won't include that scene in this story. The only scenes from the show I plan to include here are the bed scene from 3x08 and the fireplace scene from 3x09 but unlike chapter 2, I'll add a lot more to them so they won't be exactly like the show. I love they made Elena admit that she didn't know how she would have been through all of that if it wasn't for Damon. That's the assumption I made when I started this story. He became that important for her and that's the main focus here: for Elena to be close enough to not only see who Damon is but act on her growing feelings for him.<br>_

_Big thanks to all my reviewers and a special one to **Nymphadora** who was my beta for this chapter._

_xoxo,_

_Babi  
><em>


	5. IV

.

**IV**

* * *

><p>The more they learned about the Originals, and the vampire mythology, the odder it became. What were the odds of ever finding Viking script in a cave in Mystic Falls? But, once Elena talked to Rebekah, she realized that that was one of the most mundane facts about vampires' origins. Not only did they come to America centuries before Europeans found out about the 'new world', someone wrote their stories on a dungeon's wall.<p>

Rebekah remembered writing her family's names on the rocks, but that was all she ever did. And when Elena showed her the picture proving that the original hybrid killed the original witch, she knew Klaus didn't write anything else on those walls either. The only remaining female original was absolutely shocked and broken to know that the brother she had spent the last ten centuries protecting had lied to her like that. She was hurt but above all she was enraged. And when Elena asked for her help, she didn't think twice before agreeing to whatever plan they came up with. She would avenge her mother, and she would release the rest of her family from Klaus' clutches. She knew he would wake their family up at some point. He had promised her so. She missed her brothers, especially Elijah. She also longed to see Kol and Finn and even their father, Mikael. She had never approved of her father's actions towards Klaus, but he was still her father. And now knowing it was her brother, not her father, who killed their mother, she missed Mikael even more.

Elena felt really sorry for the vampire, who was breaking down in front of her. Although Rebekah could be a bitch, and she definitely shared a lot of genes with Klaus, Elena also saw a lot more of humanity in the blond than in most vampires she met, and she had met a good share of them already. Rebekah was a passionate person, and, although the vampire thought her most noticeable trait was stubbornness, Elena disagreed. It was her ability to love without limits, recklessly even, and that was why Elena knew she possessed more humanity than she'd seen in a lot of humans. All Rebekah wanted was to love the people she cared about, have a chance to live the life she'd wanted, that was lost when she moved to America and was cursed with vampirism. The blond wanted to be loved back, and to reconcile her family, and Elena would never be able to hold it against Klaus' sister.

As the brunette came from her bathroom, exhausted from the day's events, she wasn't entirely surprised when she realized she wasn't alone. Neither was she disappointed or annoyed by his presence, but she was too tired to deal with just be around him these days. Denying what she felt for Damon required a lot of emotional energy, and she didn't have much of it after the day she spent with Rebekah.

"Damon, seriously?" she said tiredly, hoping it would give him a hint, but, of course, he chose to completely ignore her words.

"We got Mikael," he offered, as he lay sprawled across her pillows his hands under his head.

"What? How?" she asked, truly surprised by the information.

"No idea. I guess Katherine came through. The plan's in motion. See? Told you I had it. Go ahead. Kick, yell, scream. I'm sure you've been planning your rant all day," he said smugly, and she knew she would have to make a quick decision. She went with the honesty, except she meant to keep it only about her tiredness.

"I'm not going to yell at you," she added, showing as little emotion as she could, though she didn't try to cover her lack of energy.

"Why not? I went behind your back, freed Stefan. And you know what? It backfired. He's an even bigger dick than ever. It's just now he's a dick that's on our side," he kept his cocky façade. Damon was actually pretty proud of himself, although he would never let Elena know the real reasons why he had released his brother. Admitting that it backfired was enough.

He'd never expected to meet Mikael in that bar. He just couldn't endure seeing his brother like that anymore. He never believed in Lexi's method. He knew deep down it was Stefan's battle to fight, and when he found the right things inside him, he overcame his ripper side. That was why he had relapses, because it was an exhausting- and a never ending fight. But as time passed the crises became more distant from one another, and his brother had spent the last five decades improving and refining his self-control, keeping an animal diet, and trying to be as human as possible.

"I'm not mad. I'm tired. I just... I want to go to bed," she said honestly, and decided that although she didn't have more emotional energy, she still had some physical gas in her tank, and reaching for her comforter she started to pull it from under him.

"I think Mikael's weapon is a stake, because he mentioned something about it," Damon thought out loud ignoring completely her feeble attempts to kick him out. He was in too great a mood to feel dejected by her actions. Today had turned out so much better than he had planned. His brother was on their side again, they found Mikael, and, as expected, the original father was as willing as they were to kill Klaus. Everything was amazing, and he had to share it with her. He had to be around her, at least for a few minutes. That would always be the best part of his day, no matter how wonderful the rest of it had been.

"Well, then they must have carved it from the white oak tree before they burned it down," she concluded, still pulling at the comforter. She knew that was a losing battle, as much as the one she was fighting with her heart. But, there was a huge difference between admitting she'd lost to bedclothes and admitting she was developing feelings for her ex-boyfriend's brother.

"So I was right," he kept his arrogance at its best, leading Elena to roll her eyes, and definitely gave up on removing the comforter from under him. "After all that… the wall led us to Mikael," he added while she moved under the comforter.

"It led us to more than just that. I think I got Rebekah on our side, too," she added, and it actually surprised Damon. The day was definitely improving by the minute. Couldn't all days be like that?

"Really? What did you learn from her?" he asked curious.

"I learned that she's just a girl, that she lost her mom too young, and she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her," Elena offered almost mechanically, but then she let the words sink in. They were too familiar. She knew how it was to love someone like that. She saw it every time she saw those blue eyes looking back at her. But she wasn't the only one to establish the connection as the cobalt orbs shifted slightly away from hers, and he frowned a little bit. But, unlike Elena – who didn't have a clue that he'd come to same conclusion – he knew too well those were the thoughts on her head.

"You know, when all is said and done, there's nothing more important than the bond of family," she offered, and just then, looking at her chocolate eyes, he realized he was lying in her bed with her, both of them comfortably talking about their days, and sharing their perspectives about it. It felt so right, and so perfect, but at the same time it reminded him of the ever-present obstacle between them.

"You should tell that to my brother," he said, propping his head on his arm, getting closer to her. He couldn't avoid getting as close to her as possible. It was bigger than him. That was how they went through those endless – and almost masochistic – intimate moments they started sharing recently. He'd noticed how she tended to stare at his lips when they were that close, but he didn't allow himself to read too much into that. He wasn't after attraction.

"I'm not mad at you for letting him out, Damon," she smiled at his joke before she became serious and turned off the bedside lamp. Elena wasn't too good at picking out the times Damon was acting on his feelings for her from the ones that he was trying to avoid acting on them. But, she definitely could read through the brothers' actions when it came to one another. She knew he was hurt by Stefan's actions – whatever they had been – and she knew the biggest reason for him helping her to rescue the younger Salvatore wasn't to give her ex-boyfriend back. He was trying to rescue his brother. His near death experience definitely accelerated the healing process for Damon - and whether he realized it or not, whether he admitted it or not, he loved Stefan more than he had ever loved anyone else. That was why she knew it hurt him to know that his brother was less and less the person they knew. And, she knew Damon well enough to know that he was also feeling guilty and undeserving. He had admitted so in his deathbed. He thought he deserved to die, even in a horrible way like that, and he had asked her to tell Stefan he was sorry. When he didn't have the strength to keep his mask up, Damon showed openly what Elena had seen only in small pieces until then. He had a big heart, he loved just like Rebekah did and that love extended to Stefan. Actually, it was mainly about Stefan. And that was why she should keep discouraging those feelings. That was why she should avoid moments like these, when she and Damon were just a touch away from forgetting about Stefan. She loved the younger brother and she knew she had growing feelings for Damon too. But nothing of that mattered more than seeing them becoming brothers again; and finally showing that, despite everything they did to each other in more than a hundred and forty years, they loved one another. She would help him see that it was okay to admit it.

"I think that you're going to be the one to save him from himself. It won't be because he loves me. It'll be because he loves you," _Just like you love him, _she completed in her head and saying those words out loud made her finally understand what Rose said a couple of nights ago. She couldn't fix Stefan, but Damon could and maybe she should focus in helping the older Salvatore, and let him help his brother.

Damon looked down for a moment. All of sudden the moment they were sharing wasn't about them anymore. All of sudden everything was about Stefan, but for once he didn't feel inferior because this time _he_ was the one picking his brother over himself. Stefan loved this woman, and even if what she had just said was true, Damon couldn't betray his brother like that. He was the reason why Stefan was off the rails in the first place. Wasn't it enough that he had been the reason why Stefan lost everything precious to him? Would he also pursue the only woman he believed his brother had truly loved? He couldn't do that to Stefan, and he knew if anything changed between them that Elena would be thinking along the same lines. She would never betray Stefan like that, and neither would he. There was no way for him to get rid of the consuming guilt he felt for wanting his brother's girl.

"Can I tell you the rest tomorrow?" she interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure," he offered softly, and she knew she had accomplished her mission. She was going to sleep, and leave the constant battle of denying and muffling her growing feelings for the next day.

"Good night," she whispered before closing her eyes, and she knew he would understand what she meant.

Damon looked at her peaceful figure, although he knew she wasn't sleeping yet. He knew she was letting him stay longer if he wanted to, and he would actually take the chance to observe her consensually. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, but Stefan's face kept popping in his mind, so he decided to resume his body's previous position, resting his head on his hands as he looked absently at the ceiling.

Could Elena be right? Would he be his brother's salvation after all? Stefan didn't let Mikael kill him – although he wouldn't have minded if his brother had taken less time to do it. They bonded for a whole day, like Damon had expected them to spend when they were humans. At a bar, enjoying girls and alcohol and talking about their crappy lives. They felt like brothers for the first time in… longer than Damon could remember. They had saved each other every now and then throughout the years, even if they had swore to make each other' lives a living hell. They still cared about one another deeply, no matter how much they tried to show they didn't, or even wishing it. But, today they bonded. And Damon realized how much he missed his baby brother. How much he and Stefan could have had together if Katherine had never crossed their paths. They were always there for each other, but it was nice to just be there _with_ one another. Nothing too serious, nothing to dangerous, nothing too complicated. Just two brothers spending some time together, without any secret agenda or dangerous plan. It was a good break.

But, he also knew Stefan was still struggling. The blood addiction was becoming stronger, and his brother was acting more recklessly as each day passed. But what could Damon do to prevent Stefan from jumping off the edge? What could make the younger Salvatore brother just enjoy the thrill of being at the precipice, but never falling from it? Damon thought of many things, but none of them seemed to be enough. Feeling emotionally drained, and still not his usual self after Mikael's actions, he fell asleep before he could stop himself. And he was the only one doing so.

Elena just couldn't bring herself to sleep. Her body needed her to just lose herself in the immensity of her subconscious, and give it a break from the emotional rollercoaster her life had become. But, her mind couldn't stop. Although she tried to ignore the man lying by her side, in her bed, as if it was nothing, _she knew_ it was far from nothing. It didn't help that she was lying in an uncomfortable position. She was doing the best not to let their bodies touch, although there was a comforter between them, but not even the tier of tissue was capable of blocking the heating coming from their bodies. Maybe he would leave after he was sure she was sleeping? She did the best she could to consciously slow down her breathing, to make it even, and waited for what seemed like hours. It surely couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Feeing too anxious, she decided to take a risk, and open her eyes slightly to take a look at the man by her side. It didn't seem like he had a problem sleeping at all, because she could tell he wasn't just keeping his eyes closed.

She had never seen Damon looking so peaceful. It definitely matched the tender side she recently found out about. And the more she looked at this face, the more mesmerized she was by how breathtaking he was. She had never seen a man that beautiful. And that had nothing to do with the newly found emotions she nurtured for him. The moment she saw him for the first time, her heart skipped a beat. Of course as time passed, and she realized what a jerk he was back then, all the fascinating beauty he had was overshadowed by disdain for his actions. But, then she started understanding why he behaved like that. He was definitely like Rebekah when it came to love. He loved recklessly and he knew no limit. He would do everything to save and protect the ones he cared about, and he'd proven his ability to do anything to be with the woman he loved. She couldn't stop her heart from fluttering at that. When she had realized that his love for Katherine had motivated him to act like he had in the past, it only made her understand where he was coming from. To a certain extent, she found it inspiring - although she still disapproved his actions. But she knew Damon didn't love Katherine anymore, she knew he was in love with her instead, and she had a chance to be the object of Damon Salvatore's devotion. Would he do everything he did to be with her like he'd done for Katherine if it wasn't for Stefan?

Her eyes soon found their way to what had recently become their favorite target: his perfect and kissable lips. She had kissed him when she thought he was dying, but barely. It had been just physical contact, there was no action. But what would it be like to actually kiss him? To be kissed by him? She had started thinking about it more and more lately, no matter how hard she fought it. Would she feel anything different? Would it be special? Would it be tender? Or would it be sensual? The only conclusion she came to was that no matter what her affections for him were, she shouldn't kiss him. It wouldn't be fair to him. Although Stefan had disappointed her more than she thought possible, she still loved the younger Salvatore. No matter how bad Stefan looked, it didn't brush away what she felt for him. It wasn't easy like that, but sometimes she wished it was. She was tired hoping against faith. She was more and more convinced that maybe the Stefan she knew would never be back. The sooner she realized it, the better. But she couldn't pretend like she didn't have a small hope in her heart that someday they would be able to leave all those horrible events behind them and be happy.

As for Damon, she knew she felt for him in ways that were deeper than just friendship. They used to have an understanding that had progressed into caring, but she more than cared about him now. She had admitted to Rose that she felt more than attraction for him. Looking at him like this, she felt an urgency to just touch him, to actually hold him and finally find out how it tasted to kiss Damon Salvatore. And in that moment, she knew she was falling in love with him. He was as flawed as someone could be, but there wasn't anyone with a bigger heart than him. There wasn't anyone as faithful and dedicated. There wasn't anyone as beautiful; and this time, she wasn't thinking about his perfect face.

Looking at him one more time, she realized that he slept with a slight crease on his forehead. Before she could stop herself, she let her hand travel from under her face to feather-touch his cheek, with the back of her fingers. She wanted the small frown to leave his once peaceful and jovial features, but she forgot one small detail: a vampire's heightened senses.

The moment her fingers touched him, his blue orbs revealed themselves, and it was too late for her to retract her hand.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.

"I was actually sleeping," he confessed, but neither of them moved, and her warm hand was still touching his colder skin. A vampire's skin was considerably cooler than a human's, but still there was some warmth, and she was actually under the impression that Damon's seemed warmer than Stefan's had ever been.

"You were frowning, I just wanted to brush it away," she said, finally removing her hand from his face.

"Why?" he simply asked.

"Because…," she said, but stopped talking pondering what answer she should give him. She should keep the honesty policy they had, and taking a deep breath she moved her hand back to his skin, but this time she preferred to touch a safer place, so she simply reached for his hand.

"Because, I don't like to see you in pain I don't like to see you hurt. I don't want you to be sad. I can't stop myself from trying to make all those things just go away, you have had enough of them," she said tenderly, she looked at his eyes and he could actually see she was tearing up, although there was almost no light in the bedroom.

She seemed to have chosen her words carefully, and while it showed how deeply she cared about him, it still didn't answer his question about where they stood. He thought about asking her that question, but could he be that selfish? And what benefit would it bring? She was still his brother's girl, whether they were together or not. He was still the reason why she lost her boyfriend, maybe for good. It didn't matter what her answer would be, she was still off limits and accepting their fate once again, he offered her a small smile.

"Mission accomplished," he said, partially meaning what he said, partially lying. It was true; knowing she cared about him to that extent was comforting, but his heart would always want more, although it was more than he received from almost everyone in his life. Except for his mother and Stefan, only Alaric and Rose came close to caring like that. Other people had cared about him in those empty decades, although still only a few, but not to that extent. And while he didn't deserve it from any of them, he felt it was least justified from the girl lying beside him.. He had done so many things to purposefully hurt her, and many others he'd done unintentionally. She shouldn't care for him like that, but the fact that she still did could remove all the pain from his heart. Except for the pain caused by never getting from her what his heart really pursued.

She smiled back at him, and once again closed her eyes, but not in attempt to fall asleep. She was still very awake, but her body seemed less fatigued, and somewhat relaxed. The small, but still, significant heat coming from their joined hands seemed to have the soothing effect she needed to feel sleep coming back to her.

"I should go," he whispered loud enough for her to hear, knowing she was still awake because of the smile on her lips and her heartbeat.

"Don't," she said, opening her eyes.

He looked at her silently, wondering what she meant, and she could read the question perfectly.

"No frowns, remember?" she moved her hand from his, and using her thumb she undid the slight wrinkle from his forehead. "It's just… having you here is comforting."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just need a good night's sleep. Well, my body does, but my mind isn't cooperating much right now," she said, locking their gazes again, but it was too intense for her to keep looking at those deep blue eyes, and restrain herself from doing what she knew she shouldn't, "That's what best friends are for," she whispered, reassuring her of what they were more than wanting to reassure him.

_Of course she still sees me as one of her friends, _Damon thought to himself.

"Should we start a pillow fight?" he wriggled his eyebrows to cover his disappointment, but Elena could see that his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"No, but I might as well try having a new one for the night," she said moving closer to him, although her comforter was still separating their bodies. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at his face, dangerously close to hers, studying his lips before focusing on his eyes.

"Thank you," she said simply, and closing her eyes, sleep didn't take longer than a couple of minutes to finally take over.

* * *

><p><em>AN: <em>_Sorry for the delay, but this week has been crazy. I'm moving out to a new place (yes, present continuous, it takes a while to get it done completely)._

_Here is the new chapter. I love myself some DS which is why I took some paragraphs getting into Damon's feelings and reactions about his brother and Stefan's actions. Of course I also had to prolong their first time sleeping in the same bed and can you see Elena's defenses getting down? I definitely do._

_This story gets so little feedback... I really prefer to write all humans, maybe I should stick to that as you guys seem to like it more and I definitely have more fun writing them rather than supernatural stories._

_Thanks a lot for the reviews and for Nymphadora, for being my beta to this chapter._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	6. V

.

**V**

* * *

><p>The plan was going exactly as expected. Rebekah lured Klaus back to Mystic Falls before Elena staked her. Katherine agreed to play Elena, and Stefan was knocked out at the boarding house. Damon had a contingency plan for the hybrids, and they kept Caroline out of the loop - knowing it would be better if she didn't know about their plans in case Tyler pressured her for information. And, although Klaus warned Stefan that he knew they were planning something and he would always be a step ahead of them, he was surprised when he saw Mikael. Unfortunately, just when everything was about to come to fruition, things took a turn for the worse. Just like that, Stefan betrayed them and helped Klaus. The hybrid didn't waste a chance to kill his father for good, knowing that it would also ensure his eternal life, as the stake had been burned with the last remaining threat to him.<p>

Damon knew there was something else to the story. Stefan wouldn't sell himself to Klaus just to break away from the compulsion to keep an eye on Elena. His brother had confessed the night before that he wanted his freedom back, but he could easily have convinced Klaus to use someone else to safeguard Elena's life. Stefan knew Damon would die to protect her, and they were both aware that Klaus knew that for a fact. There was no one better suited to take care of Elena than him. And when he couldn't find a reason, at least not a good one, for Stefan's actions, he just exploded. He was enraged. That had been the most meticulous plan he had ever thought out. Everything was covered. But then he remembered Stefan's words to them earlier that day in his bedroom. Someone's humanity would always get in the way, and this time it was his. He shouldn't have let Elena convince him that it would be his brother's love for him that would bring the Stefan they knew and loved back. For a moment, he blamed her for telling him those things. It had been just the night before. For one moment he cursed her for not choosing a better time to say what he'd needed to hear. But he soon brushed those thoughts off. Elena didn't know the dark side of his brother like he did. She didn't know that although those feelings still resided in Stefan's heart, he was too far lost to act on them all the time. Damon didn't know how Stefan woke up and made it just in time to save Klaus. He was infuriated, and if Elena knew what was best for her, she would leave him alone. But she was too stubborn to just leave.

"How did this happen?" she asked

"We thought of everything, Elena. Klaus having hybrids, Mikael turning on us, we brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger. Anything that could have gone wrong, we were prepared!" he said enraged.

"I don't understand. Stefan wanted Klaus dead. More than anything! That's what we were counting on!" Elena thought out loud, and it made Damon even angrier with his brother.

"He blew it."

"Where is Katherine?" she asked.

"She ran for the hills, like usual, the minute things go bad. But who blames her? Klaus would have crushed her. I had him, Elena. I had Klaus. This could have all been over!" Damon defended the vampire, and then threw his tumbler in the fireplace. Elena was actually surprised by his words, although she knew she needed to calm him down, and deal with her reactions later. She had grown to know Damon in the past months and she knew he was about to lose it, and things were never pretty when he did.

"Damon, listen to me, we'll survive this. We always survive. Trust me," she reached for his arm, but he avoided her touch. She didn't even feel hurt by his rejection, knowing that he was an inch from snapping. Instead, she cupped his face with her hands, and held it, making him look at her.

"We're never getting Stefan back, you know that. Don't you?" he whispered, paying close attention to the emotions playing on her face

"Then we'll let him go. Okay? We'll have to let him go," she offered, and Damon didn't know what surprised him more: the serenity in her features or the words themselves. But both affected him deeply, and with the anger he still felt for his brother, it was too much to rein in. He simply gave up fighting his deepest and most primal desires.

"You know what? You're right, I'm letting the guilt go," he said before taking her in his arms, and capturing her lips with his.

That was his third attempt at kissing Elena. Kissing Katherine didn't count, because it wasn't Elena at all. The kiss they shared on his death bed hadn't been initiated by him, and he could barely feel the warmth of her lips because he was hallucinating, burning with fever and feeling pain consume his entire body. But now, it was different. Now he was indeed kissing her, the right woman, the woman he loved. He would care – and feel guilty, despite his claim – about Stefan when the new day came. In that moment all he could think about, if he could think at all, was the feeling of their bodies touching more intimately than they ever had before.

Although the gentle brush of their lips when he was dying had been enough to warm his heart, he now felt his whole body being incinerated. It was as if his cells had been frozen, and the moment Elena's lips touched his, his body was taken by a heat he couldn't explain. It was almost as if he was human again. That was the best way he had to describe it. He had never felt so alive in his many undead years. He wasn't sure if he ever felt that alive before Katherine turned him.

Elena had been surprised by his actions, but even more by her body's response. She felt her heart rushing in her chest, and she reached for his waist to keep standing. Her knees had totally given out, and she felt shivers down her back, and butterflies in her stomach. Everything was new, and nearly impossible to describe. He didn't deepen the kiss, or even try to, he just let his mouth cover hers, and she could swear she could feel his love for her radiating from his body. It was an exquisite sensation, one she couldn't totally comprehend. It was nearly overwhelming, and she wasn't ready to let it go.

The moment she felt Damon pulling away from her and their lips breaking apart, she found some force pulling her towards him. Just seconds ago, her body didn't seem to have strength enough to keep standing, but now her hand was leaving his waist and moving to the back of his neck, bringing his lips back to hers.

She didn't know exactly what she was doing. The only thing that was clear in her mind was that she wasn't ready to let _him_ go. Her body wasn't either, and both needed to explore whatever was happening until any of them finally understood it. It was beyond comprehension, and reason. It was absolutely contradictory. It seemed like time was flying, because she wanted that kiss to progress into a more intimate and passionate one. But, at the same time, it felt like the whole universe had stopped. It seemed like her senses had been heightened, like they have never been before while simultaneously being anaesthetized by her emotions.

If Damon had been slightly surprised by his own actions, he had been overwhelmed by hers. After the initial shock of having her mouth on his, he realized he had crossed a line, and slowly, and reluctantly, he was letting her go. But, before his body could register the emptiness and coldness left by the absence of contact between their bodies, he felt her hands pulling him closer, and it was her turn to kiss him. He may have lived over one hundred and sixty years, and he had kissed plenty of women in his existence, both as a human and a vampire, but he had never been kissed like that.

And then, the unexpected happened. As if it hadn't happened enough that day, already. Elena silently asked for permission, and Damon barely registered what was going on, before he conceded. The moment their tongues met, a wave of electricity sprawled through their bodies, and they actually felt connected. Damon's grip on her body increased, and they were pulled against each other by some deep, magnetic force. There wasn't an inch separating their upper bodies, but still they felt their arms trying to decrease the already nonexistent space between them. In that moment they were utterly unable to control the need they felt to be even closer to one another. It was as if they were two halves of the same person, twin flames. It was like they were kindred souls. It was as though their bodies and hearts had finally found their homes.

The more they kissed, and held one another close, the more they needed it to escalate into something else. Damon felt his gums aching, and he was fighting his body the best he could to keep his fangs retracted. He didn't know why he felt that way. He controlled his blood lust just fine, and it had been a long time since he had trouble stopping himself from vamping out. But, in that moment, he felt like he would lose control at any given second.

Elena felt like there wasn't enough proximity between their bodies. Her nails were probably drawing blood – even through his shirt – as she grabbed his chest. If Damon wasn't a vampire, he would certainly have pushed her back, because her fingers were aching with the intensity with which her hands possessed his skin. And that wasn't the only aching part of her. She felt her body being taken by a convulsive throbbing. Her body wanted to be completely consumed by his touch, until it didn't exist anymore. She wanted to be in his bloodstream, completely surrounded by all of Damon, completely filled with Damon, completely surrendered to him. But she was only human, and air soon became necessary, leading them to break apart.

"That…" Elena started, while he appraised her reactions. But, before either of them could elaborate on the consequences of what they had just done, his phone rang. Damon didn't waste the welcomed interruption, and promptly answered it.

"Impeccable timing as always, Katherine," Damon offered sarcastically, and he didn't know if he meant it or not. Of course, he had enjoyed every second Elena's lips were on his, and he craved more, but he was also well aware of the circumstances that led her to do it. Stefan had disappointed them on a whole new level; she was hurt, and trying to comfort him from his brother's betrayal. He shouldn't be complaining about whatever reason convinced her to finally kiss him, but after being burned so many times, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand the regret that would certainly come later. That actually made Katherine a godsend. At least for once in her existence, judging by the blank stare Elena still had on her face.

"I'm not interested in the play by play of our failure right now," Damon snapped, being once again reminded of how Stefan blew the only chance they would ever have to kill Klaus.

"_I'm just calling to say goodbye. I don't know what to tell you. You had a good plan, Damon. And that's high praise coming from me_," she offered, almost sympathetically, and Damon actually frowned at her words. Not what he'd been expecting at all.

"It's not very comforting at the moment. You're going back into hiding?" he asked, and it drew Elena's interest in the conversation.

The girl couldn't describe what she had felt when their lips finally found their way to each other's. She had never felt something like that. She was shocked, so absolutely stunned by the effect he had on her, that it took her a few moments to finally realize he was talking to Katherine. But when she finally did, she was surprised by concern expressed in his words. Truth to be told, he didn't put a lot of it, but she knew it meant more by Damon's standards.

"_At least my life's not boring,_" the first doppelganger answered sarcastically.

"Take care of yourself, Katherine," he said, almost tenderly, and Elena felt her heart skipping a beat in her chest. They had just kissed, and she was far from recovering from all the feelings, the sensations, and definitely the repercussions of their actions. She had been the one who deepened the kiss. Actually, she had been the one to prolong it in the first place. And, although the kiss gave answers to the many questions she had about her feelings for Damon, it also brought more concerns than ever.

"_Actually, Damon, there's something else you need to know_," Katherine said, almost uncertain, and this time Damon frowned deeper.

"And what is that?" he asked, intrigued by her sudden doubts. His maker was never reluctant about anything, and he wondered what sort of information she wanted to share.

"_Stefan saved Klaus to save you,_" she added simply, and Damon almost dropped his phone.

"What?" Damon asked, stunned, looking at Elena, who was closely observing his reactions. She was getting more and more bothered about how interested, albeit disturbed he seemed to be by the vampire on the other end of the line. Did Katherine still have such a strong hold on him? She didn't want to know the answer to the question, because the slightest prospect of it caused a sting in her heart.

"_Klaus came to me during the party. He said his hybrids had been ordered to kill you if he was killed,_" Katherine clarified, and then everything made sense in the raven –haired man's head.

"You woke Stefan up…" Damon concluded.

"I _couldn't blow my cover before it was the right time,_" she defended her actions, but they both knew she could have.

"I thought you didn't have a problem letting me die, as long as Stefan was safe," Damon offered, and unconsciously he looked at Elena when he said the last words. He was hurt to see how much the words unsettled her. He knew his brother's name would always cause that reaction. _There would always be Stefan, after all,_ he thought, his fears confirmed.

"_That's the second time, Damon,"_ she almost sounded hurt by his tone.

"For all it's worth, thanks for saving my life, although I'm sure you did it for whatever utterly self-serving reason you have, maybe sparing Stefan pain and guilt," he added dejectedly.

"_Good luck with Klaus, Damon_," she offered, completely avoiding the confrontation and its implications.

"Bye, Katherine," he answered before hanging up.

"What did Katherine want?" she asked, pulling some hair behind her ear, looking at the fireplace near them.

"To inform me that she saved my life once again tonight," he offered a cynical smile. The information made Elena unsure and angry at the older vampire. Not because she didn't want Damon to be saved. She just didn't want Katherine to be the one to do it once again. That was twice in a row, already, and she could see Damon had hung up the phone completely affected by their conversation.

"Why?" she asked, without thinking at all before speaking.

"I know, right? I really don't know why people are always doing stupid things to spare me, of all people. Why are they always trying to save me?" he answered, kicking the armchair near him. The old furniture hit the wall violently, and was broken by the impact.

"Damon, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not questioning why she thought you were worth saving, but why she wanted to save you. I thought she had planned your death when she asked John to give you the dagger to kill Elijah," the girl explained. She needed to remind him that Katherine felt nothing for him. Actually, she couldn't believe Damon could still be fooled by the woman that confessed to have never loved him.

"It doesn't matter, Elena, they should just stop trying to save me! Why can't they just let me die?" he yelled, and although she jumped at his loud words, still her voice came out almost imperceptibly.

"Don't ever say that again," she whispered, vulnerability dripping into each word.

"But it's true. Stefan sold his soul to the devil, so I wouldn't die, and now he saved the demon from execution because he still couldn't let me die," Damon kept his tone as cutting as before. Elena had seen him that enraged only a couple of times.

"What happened?"

"Klaus compelled his minions to kill me if he died. We could have handled the hybrids, we had them covered! Why can't Stefan stop being the hero just for two fucking minutes? Is it that hard for him to do it, even when he's compelled and high on human blood?" he kicked yet another piece of furniture, this time a side table.

"You're his brother; you would do the same for him," Elena reasoned, but Damon didn't seem to care.

"Except that I don't deserve it. He deserves it, Elena. He deserves to be saved, he deserves to be happy, he deserves to live, he deserves… you," his voice was suddenly soft again as the last word left his mouth.

Elena wanted to retort his words, but they sounded strangely familiar. She didn't know where or when she heard similar things, but something inside her was letting her know she had heard this before. And more surprisingly, she had a feeling Damon had been the person to voice such evocative words.

"Elena?" his voice broke the spell she was under.

"Sorry, I zoned out," she offered, still trying to get a grip of the weird feeling.

"So I noticed…" he said quietly. He had actually expected her to defend his life, like she'd done in the past. He knew in that moment a simple kiss, that made his undead life worthwhile, that made everything meaningful, also had the power to destroy everything he cherished.

"For the record, you deserve to be saved, as many times as needed, no matter the consequences, no matter the price. You're worth it." She took his hand on her, squeezing it.

"We both know I'm not. I just kissed my brother's girl, who he lost, not once, but twice, because he saved me," his voice was low, while he reveled in her touch. Now that they had connected beyond the boundaries of friendship, her touch seemed even more powerful, and exhilarating.

"Damon…" she warned him.

"It is true, Elena. Not even I am that low. What I did was wrong," he admitted, already feeling the pain from the consequences of what he did, but her next words twisted the knife on his chest.

"Yes, it was," she agreed, and before she could say another word he spoke again.

"One more proof that no one, Stefan or anyone else, should waste any time, or resource, let alone the perfect chance to kill Klaus to save me," he hissed.

"Hey, look at me," she reached for his chin, stroking it softly. He did as he was told, and he was surprised to find so much affection.

"Yeah, we shouldn't kiss, because it's not right. But, it has nothing to do with Stefan saving you, okay? Things are complicated and confusing right now. I don't want to end up hurting you, or Stefan or myself. And doing something that could potentially hurt so many people isn't right," her eyes looked for his, and it was almost painful to watch so many emotions in her chocolate orbs.

"You don't understand it, Elena," he said cupping her face in his hands, just like she had done to his moments ago, "If it wasn't for me, you could be free now. Klaus would be dead, and no other supernatural creature would have any interest in you," he completed, sounding absolutely crushed by the turn of the events.

"And how alive do you think I would be if I knew the price for me staying undisturbed by Klaus was losing you?" she felt her eyes tearing up, and Damon actually softened his at the sight of her tears, his hands leaving her face, and dropping to his side.

"What are a few days of grief over a man that should have died a century and a half ago compared to a life free of fear and terror?" he asked softly.

"That's why Damon. That's why Stefan saved you; that's why you deserve to be saved. Because you're willing to offer your life in exchange of someone else's," she moved her hand from his chin to his cheek, her eyes progressing from offering comfort to fascination.

"You're eighteen, Elena, you have a bright and happy life ahead of you," he closed his eyes at her tender touch, opening them again when she spoke the next words.

"And I want you, Damon Salvatore, to be part of every day of my life. Even if they're doomy and gloomy, I want you to be there with me," their eyes locked, and before the natural and magnetic pull they felt for one another took over again, Damon looked away.

"It doesn't feel right! I've lived enough, you've barely gotten started," he added avoiding her eyes.

"But it _is_ right," she used her hands to bring turn his face to hers, "The same way some things just aren't right, but _feel_ right," she offered, looking intensely at his eyes, and he actually felt goose bumps erupting on his skin.

"Good night," she said with a soft smile, getting closer, and kissing his cheek before heading out of the house.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So here is how I wanted the kiss to be played since I started this story, and since I watched 3x09. Although I think the kiss in 3x10 was perfect I still wanted it to happen in the 3x09 scene. The producers said that was their initial plan too, but that it didn't feel right. Well for me, it felt and was absolutely right.<em>

_Thanks a lot for the reviews last chapter. I've got a few more and it made me really happy. Also thanks a lot to **Nymphadora, **my beta to this story. _

_ps.: I never meant last chapter that I would drop this story, only that in the future I'd stick with writing AH over supernatural._

_ps.2: As far as my plans go, this is the last moment my story will have with the show, although I plan to mention some of the biggest developments from the show._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	7. VI

.

**VI**

* * *

><p>Damon couldn't have been in a better mood the following morning. He was still mad at Stefan for ruining their only chance to kill Klaus. There was nothing Elena deserved more than to have a normal life. As normal as it could be surrounded by supernatural creatures, at least. She deserved to live a life where she wouldn't have to be someone's blood bag. He was mad at his brother, disappointed at himself, and just plain angry at how things turned out. But, despite all those things, he was in a great mood. Maybe her lips had healing and therapeutic properties. He was at cloud nine, and he didn't want to leave his happy little bubble any time soon.<p>

Her last words before leaving the house kept being repeated in his head. '_The same way some things just aren't right, but feel right'_, and he knew she meant their kiss. She had explained the reasons why kissing him was wrong. But, she also made it clear with her final words that although it was wrong, it didn't feel wrong. It felt right. But, even if she hadn't said those words, Damon knew when a woman enjoyed kissing him. He had spent so long being unsure of how to behave around Elena, or clueless about what to expect from her, that he had almost thought he has lost his natural gift for seduction. It had been even more difficult lately, because he was confused by her signals, and it made him insecure about her. He would never admit that out loud. To everyone he met, he was the picture of confidence, and arrogance, and that was exactly what he wanted them to think. And that's who he was. But, since he fell in love with Elena, he felt he was losing his own game. He felt like an amateur in an art where he was the master. But, all it took was one kiss for his confidence to come back. He got his mojo back. Elena was going to be his; it was only a matter of time. Suddenly he didn't have a single doubt about it.

He was still enjoying his extra long shower when he heard his phone ringing across his bedroom. He thought about letting it ring until whoever called him got a clue that he was busy. But, then it could be Elena. Nobody knew what happened to Klaus, but Damon was positive the Hybrid would look for revenge. It was almost comforting to know that Klaus needed Elena's blood to make more hybrids. While it still sucked, at least Damon could rest assured that keeping her alive was in Klaus' best interests. Whatever or whoever was calling him could wait.

He was another hour in the bathroom, and then half an hour deciding what to wear, then another half hour to take his breakfast in a bag. It was nearly noon when he remembered to check his phone, that didn't seem to have rung again. He had a few missed calls, a couple of texts and a voicemail. Deciding to start with the last option, he dialed his mailbox number.

'_Please call me,'_ was her brief message. It didn't seem like she was in the best of the moods, and he wondered if anything had changed between last night and this morning. She didn't think it was right for them to kiss behind Stefan's back, but he didn't think she regretted doing it. Sometimes people do things that are wrong, but they don't necessarily regret them. He was convinced that this was the case between them, but even if it wasn't, he wasn't backing off. He would give her some time to think things over, and hopefully Stefan would regroup in the meanwhile, but he was also going to make it clear to everyone, his brother included, that he wasn't giving up on her. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Checking his messages, he found that both were from her. _We need to talk,_ said the first. _Damon, it's serious. Where are you?_, read the second. It was cryptic enough, and he knew she was going to talk about the kiss. Not wanting to ruin his fabulous mood, he just sent a text saying he had some stuff to do, but that he would stop by in the afternoon. And of course, he included a kiss gif at the end of the message.

* * *

><p>Elena was cleaning her bedroom. That was what she did when she was nervous about something. And she was definitely tense after the previous night's events. And for once, it had nothing to do with Originals killing and being killed. She wasn't nervous because they now had to deal with an angry Klaus, although it didn't help her situation. Actually, her already ruined humor became worse when the devil himself showed up in her doorstep early in the morning, asking her to take care of her boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, she made sure to remind the Original of the fact that she and Stefan weren't a couple anymore.<p>

And, just what was she supposed to do about Stefan? Wasn't it him who had saved Klaus at the last minute, betraying her and everyone else? But, what the hybrid later revealed shocked her, and she knew she needed to talk to Damon and Bonnie as soon as possible. While she said everything to her friend through a phone call, she didn't want to do the same with Damon. She knew he was already devastated because their plan had failed. She wanted to be around when he learned that Stefan saved Klaus for more reasons than just to spare his brother's life.

At the time, when Damon had questioned Stefan's decision, it seemed like he was only overreacting in the moment of their failure. But the little thinking she did while she wasn't reliving the other actions his lips had performed, she wondered if Damon hadn't been right. They knew Klaus had hybrids, and while they were powerful, and lethal to vampires, they had wolfsbane, and not even hybrids could live if their heads were chopped off or their hearts snapped from their chests. They could have saved Damon, especially if they already knew that was what Klaus compelled his minions to do. While she understood why Stefan was saving his brother, she didn't think that saving Klaus to do it was the best option. They only knew one way to kill Klaus, and he was the root of most of their problems. If they got rid of the biggest problem first, they could certainly handle the minor ones later. It seemed like the younger Salvatore brother had a hidden agenda. He wanted to torture Klaus, he wanted to take everything from him, he wanted to leave Klaus alive, just so he could get revenge. She was finally realizing that she never knew Stefan at all. She didn't know what he was capable of, and she wondered whether he wouldn't have taken that road by himself at some point, if Klaus had never come into the picture. It seemed like he enjoyed being who he was now. He didn't seem to want to be the vampire she had known anymore. And, it actually scared her.

But, aside from her ponderings, most of her morning was spent cleaning. She had to keep her hands busy if she didn't want her mind to drift back to the kiss every two minutes. She couldn't stop thinking about what she had shared with Damon the previous night. It seemed like she could still feel his lips on hers, feel his taste in her mouth, and it frustrated her. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to relive it, but she found herself gazing blankly into space while she touched her lips with her fingers. She could almost feel his soft, cool touch against her skin. It set her body on fire, increasing her frustration even more. She had been honest with him. They couldn't do that anymore. It wasn't right, it wasn't appropriate. But it felt so amazing. It had been the best kiss of her life, and her body seemed to want to repeat it until her lips were swollen and she couldn't touch anything with them for a week. That was how much she wanted Damon, and the reason why she hadn't slept most of the night. She couldn't stop thinking, she couldn't quiet her pounding heart, she couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach. And make things even more difficult, she couldn't seem to stop certain parts of body from producing ridiculous amounts of moisture with only the memory of his sexy, trained, seductive lips. As if her life wasn't complicated enough with only one Salvatore brother taking her sleep away. But thankfully it seemed like the exhaustion from all the cleaning was finally paying off.

"You call, I come, I'm easy like that," she heard his voice behind her while she was resting on her bed.

She turned around on the bed to come face to face with him. She didn't even felt the bed dip from his weight, but her body acknowledged the proximity immediately.

"We have a problem," she barely voiced. It was hard to even form words with him lying just a few inches from her.

"How about we solve it in bed? You know as we are already in one," he wriggled his eyebrows, and she actually felt the air vanishing from her body.

"Damon…" she warned weakly.

"What? It's true. If sex doesn't solve the problem it at least makes things more bearable," he added innocently.

"Stefan stole Klaus' family," she said, in an attempt to prevent her body from jumping on his, and proving his theory right.

"You've got be kidding me," Damon jumped from the bed, clearly irritated by his brother's actions.

"And Klaus is demanding that we make Stefan return the coffins," she added, relieved that he wasn't so close anymore, but also missing the nearness.

"Us? The people he betrayed? Why does Klaus think Stefan will listen to a word of what we say?" he continued his rant.

"He said he was going to kill you if we don't return his family," Elena brought her knees to her chest, and embraced them as if for dear life. Maybe Klaus didn't know how to push Stefan's buttons all that well, but he definitely knew how to play her.

"That threat is getting old," he hissed.

"He thinks that it will prevent Stefan from doing something stupid," she added.

"Stefan's middle name is Stupid, Klaus should know that by now," he rolled his eyes, but Elena could see he was getting more and more agitated.

"We need to do something. I called Bonnie, and asked her to do a location spell. But, she didn't even need to use her powers, she had a dream about four coffins. She already found him," Elena whispered softly, barely audible to even a vampire. She was wary of the possibility that Klaus or his hybrids might be listening.

"So, I guess it's time for some brotherly bonding," Damon answered angrily, walking towards the door.

"Damon," she called, and when he looked at her, she looked so vulnerable and fragile that it broke his heart a little bit. And, he knew exactly why she looked like that.

"I promise to be careful," he walked back to where she was, and before he could register anything else, she was throwing her arms around his neck.

"He was dead serious, he knows no boundaries," she cried against his chest.

"You won't get rid of me that easily. Now that I know how you taste, I'll make sure to live up to the immortal vampire thing," he tried to comfort her.

"You better," her voice muffled by the contact of her mouth against his chest.

"But, you could always wish me good luck," he said as he ran his hands in her hair. "In the movies the girl always kisses the hero before he goes into battle. I'd say it works 99,9% of times," he smirked, and she slowly detached herself from him.

"What if I don't come back?" he added dramatically.

"Don't say that," she reprimanded.

"Kiss or no kiss?" he smiled, and when she didn't react, he pouted. She had never seen him pouting, but it was definitely the cutest thing he had ever done.

"Please, please?" he added, seeing her resolve breaking through her eyes, "You know you want it," he smirked, moving his hands to the back of her waist.

"You'll be the death of me," she said with her gaze fixed on his lips.

"I'll make sure it'll be the most pleasurable death imaginable," his voice suddenly much lower, incredibly seductive. It was the final weapon, and it made her walls crumble.

Elena closed the space separating their faces, and wasting no time, she started devouring his lips with her own, her hands moving to his hair.

Damon answered her actions with the same hunger, and it didn't take them another moment before they deepened the kiss.

The constant moisture between her legs since the previous night started increasing, if that was even possible. It seemed like she had a pool of need screaming his name, and before she knew it, she was grinding her lower body against his.

When she felt him getting harder against her lower stomach, she moaned, and Damon moved his hands from her waist to her legs. He pulled her up, and she wrapped them around his body.

"I can smell your desire, Elena," he muttered against her lips.

"You can do more than smell it, Damon," she said kissing him even more eagerly.

"Your wish is my command," he said, before moving his skilled fingers to her center, moving the thin fabric of her shorts aside.

"Prepare yourself for the best you've ever had," he said, nipping her earlobe in the process.

"Ahhh," she screamed, her orgasm setting her body on fire. It took her a few moments to come down from her high and to a difficult realization: she was alone.

She was sweating. And, looking around, she realized she was alone in her bed. Her hand had been touching her intimate parts, through her pajamas. She had been one step away from touching herself intimately during an erotic dream about having sex with Damon. And apparently, that had been enough to drive her to a very good orgasm.

"You call, I come. I'm easy like that," his voice interrupted her. She was sitting on the middle of her bed, propping on both arms, and still her knees trembled at his voice.

"Cute PJ's," he winked, sitting down in a chair across from her bed.

Suddenly she felt very self-conscious about her scant clothing, but before doing anything about it, she pinched herself to make sure she was indeed awake. He had said the same words in her dream. She had to make sure her subconscious wasn't going into a vicious cycle of pleasuring her body repeatedly while dreaming about him. His words suddenly registered on her brain.

"What did you just say?" she frowned, although she didn't even know why she was asking in the first place.

"That I don't mind you calling me over while you're in your cute PJ's," he winked. The words seemed oddly familiar, and it wasn't the first time in the last couple of days that Damon said something that she could swear she had heard before. But, she wouldn't think about it in that moment. Not when she still felt her body reacting to the dream she just had. Not when she was sure Damon could actually smell the fluids soaking her underwear through. She had to focus on something else, otherwise she would do exactly what she had dreamed about. And that wasn't a wise decision at all.

"Stefan stole Klaus' family. They were in coffins, and Klaus wants them back, and he threatened to… be violent if you didn't convince Stefan to give them back. He seems to fail to realize that Stefan betrayed us when we tried to kill him. I don't know how he missed the hint that Stefan cares about no one, and listens to no one. What I am supposed to do? It's not like I'm still his girlfriend, or like he loves me more than his need for blood. Maybe Klaus knows Stefan saved him to save you, but how much sense does it make for him to put you in danger two seconds later, by pissing Klaus off?" she stood from the bed, pacing around the bedroom and becoming slightly hysterical, her confusion about Stefan snowballing with her frustration over the dream. Before she could realize what was going on, she was swept from her feet, into his arms.

"Hey, calm down, okay?" he soothed, stroking her hair.

"I can't lose anyone else, Damon," she simply said, as she felt tears glossing her eyes.

"I'll take care of it, okay?" he promised, and when he was about to promise that nobody would get hurt, Alaric broke into the bedroom, frowning at the scene unfolding, but having more urgent issues to care.

"Jeremy is at the hospital," he announced, and Damon felt Elena's body becoming limp in his arms.

* * *

><p>"He tried to kill Jeremy. He isn't kidding," Elena said blankly, as she held her brother's hand while he slept on the hospital stretcher.<p>

"If it wasn't for Tyler, he'd be dead," Alaric said, from the corner of the room. They had arrived at the hospital less than half an hour ago, and Damon had to give Jeremy some of his blood, because his injuries were extensive, and Dr. Fell wasn't sure he would make it.

"If it wasn't for Tyler he would still be on vervain, and wearing his ring," Elena added bitterly.

"Tyler can't control the sire bond, Elena, but at least he realized in time what Klaus' plans were," Damon explained, although he didn't know why he was defending the hybrid.

"I can't risk people's lives like this, Damon. We need to do something," she added, and Damon only nodded, while trying to think of something that could be done to prevent Klaus from having the upper hand all the time.

"The witch told me where my brother dearest is, I'll make sure to pay him a visit as soon as Jeremy wakes up," Damon said through clenched teeth. He couldn't wait to meet his brother again. His fingers and knuckles missed Stefan's nose.

"Jeremy is the only family I have left, Damon. I don't want Klaus to have this leverage. I don't want him to have this card under his sleeve," she said quietly, as she bravely fought her tears off.

"What do you have in mind?" Alaric asked, ready to agree to whatever plan she had to keep Jeremy out of this mess.

"We have friends in Denver, I'll try to convince him to leave, but if he doesn't agree…" she offered, her eyes lingering on Damon's, "I just can't risk his life," she looked away, finally losing the battle against her tears.

"I'll take care of him for you, I promise," Damon took her in his arms again, embracing her, and looking at Alaric behind her. The teacher just nodded his head, showing his support for Elena's decision.

* * *

><p>Late at night, Alaric and Jeremy entered Elena's bedroom, where she and Damon waited for them. The vampire was by the window, while Elena was sitting at the edge of her bed.<p>

"Klaus won't stop until he gets what he wants," Elena said to her brother.

"Nobody will escape this town alive," Jeremy added frustrated.

"Which is why everyone who can, should leave Mystic Falls, and never look back," she offered while she played with the hem of her shirt.

"I won't leave you alone," he immediately protested.

"She's not alone, Jeremy," Alaric offered.

"I'm her brother!"

"I promise I'll take care of her for you. Maybe when all this is finally over, you can come back, and have a normal life, at least as normal as it can be. You should be seducing girls at school, getting drunk with your friends, being sickly in love. Elena isn't a normal human being, Jer, she's a doppelganger, she's been drawn to this world from the moment she was born, but you could be free. You could experience everything you're supposed to. Klaus needs Elena's blood, he won't kill or hurt her, but he'll hurt everyone she loves when he needs to," Damon sat by Jeremy's side on Elena's bed, and the vampire even moved his hand to rest on the teenager's shoulder.

"What if someone who hates Klaus comes along, and finds out Elena's blood is the key for him to create more hybrids? I'm sure they won't feel too concerned about her well-being," the teenager made a point, and no one could refute it. A vampire that lived for as long as Klaus had lived, regardless of how powerful he was, definitely had a collection of enemies that would eventually pop up.

"I won't let anyone hurt her, I promise you. I won't leave her alone, I won't let my defenses down, and I won't be alone," Damon offered to the younger Gilbert, and then looked to Alaric.

"We have Bonnie, Caroline, and sometimes Tyler on our side," the teacher added.

"And all of you could end up dead," Jeremy retorted. He knew leaving was the best option, but he hated the idea of leaving them alone. How was he supposed to abandon his sister and friends? They all should have left, but he knew Klaus would just follow Elena.

"But at least you wouldn't, Jeremy. They're supernatural creatures, they can't run from this, but you can," she added.

"Elena…"

"Please, Jer. I just can't," she begged her brother, and the look in her eyes was heartbreaking.

"It's bigger than me. I know leaving is the best option, but I know I won't be able to stay there for more than two weeks," he reached for her, hugging her.

"I'll help you with that," Damon offered, and realization hit the teenager immediately. They were talking about compulsion.

"Please, do it for me, Jeremy," Elena whispered from behind her brother. He was sitting between Elena and Damon, while Alaric stood in front of them. Taking a look at each of them, he finally agreed.

"At least this time, I'm willingly having my brain washed," he conceded, defeat evident in his voice.

"I'll always have your back, and the moment things are safe, I promise to come get you," Damon whispered in Jeremy's ear, loud enough for only the boy hear.

"Just do your best," Jeremy asked.

"You know I would give my life for her," Damon nodded, and Jeremy did the same.

"That's why I trust you," he said, and the vampire knew he was ready.

Damon looked at Jeremy's eyes, and slowly spoke the words Elena and Alaric had previous agreed to. Jeremy would never come back to Mystic Falls, and he would enjoy his life with family-friends in Denver.

Elena felt familiar with the situation once again, but she couldn't still put her finger on it. Why did she have the feeling that some things Damon had been saying the last few days had been said before? Why did it seem like they were just hidden in the back of her mind? And then a sudden thought crossed her mind, and she found herself feeling anxious, and wanting Alaric and Jeremy to leave the room as soon as possible, so she could be alone with Damon.

* * *

><p>It took them another minute, and when Damon was following them outside, she asked him to stay for a couple of minutes.<p>

"Have you ever compelled me to forget something?" she asked, straight to the point.

"Where is that coming from?" Damon frowned at her question, seriously surprised by it.

"Just answer the question, Damon," she demanded impatiently. She was more and more convinced that the memories she seemed to have, but actually didn't, could be memories that had been erased.

"Don't I need to know why you are distrusting me?" he deflected, but he knew it would be enough for her to back off. He didn't really understand why she was asking. Could his compulsion be wearing off? It had never happened before, but Bill Forbes did call his method sloppy.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling immediately guilty about her assumptions.

"Don't be, I just want to know why," he offered. He wanted to tell her the truth, but she had taken him by surprise. He wanted to let her know what had happened, and why he did it. He just didn't know yet how to do that.

"Forget about it, it was stupid, my emotions are all over the place lately," she turned away from him, feeling really embarrassed for her lack of trust in the man that proved to respect and love her like no one else did. One of the most constant thoughts in her mind since their kiss was how Damon tortured himself by always being by her side. He ignored the pain their proximity brought, and swallowing it, he thought of her, and took care of her. It was so selfless and beautiful, but it also made her feel very guilty. She couldn't keep doing it to him. He didn't deserve it, but she didn't know what she could do about it.

"It's understandable," he caressed her face, and she closed her eyes for a few moments. The feeling of his skin against her was so warming and comforting. She could get used to it. But they couldn't go there.

"We can't, Damon. I can't kiss you again," she whispered.

"Not yet, but someday you will. _We_ will," he said confidently, but without his usual arrogance. The only thing she could catch in his words and expression was certainty. And that sent a shiver throughout her body. He kissed her forehead, and turning around, he left. And once again she was left with a feeling of déjà vu in the pit of her stomach. And that was when she realized that he never really answered her question.

* * *

><p><em>AN.: First of all I want to say how sorry I am to have not updated it last week. I started working again, my mother was visiting, and although I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, it still requires a lot of inspiration to transform 40 words into 4000. So I'm sorry it took so long. I'll do my best to keep the weekly updates. Anyway, I want to thank my beta, <strong>Nymphadora<strong> for her patience, help, and kindness. She's that great.  
><em>

_I decided to write Jeremy's compulsion because as you may already have noticed in the last couple of chapters, I'm going to address Damon's compulsion in 2x08 eventually. I don't know how much of the show's arcs I'll reproduce here. I stopped with copying scenes because I want this to be original, not simply change how the events are handed._

_I heard about a spoiler that gave me some ideas about a new arc I'm starting. It'll be a mix of that spoiler, something from the books, and my own take on that. I really hope you enjoy it. I'll give you three words about it and you let me know how much you like it: Delena road trip. Actually let me add a few more words to that: days-long Delena road trip. Thanks a lot for all the amazing reviews, keep them coming, and tonight there's a new episode! yay._

_xoxo_

_Babi  
><em>


	8. VII

.

**VII**

* * *

><p>Although he'd finally had a chance to beat the death out of brother's undead body, it brought Damon no satisfaction. Actually, he felt the pain lingering in his body, but it wasn't from using all his strength to beat Stefan up. It was the emotional pain of seeing his brother so lost like that. Stefan was cold and detached, and Damon had seen that before. But it never fit his brother's persona. That wasn't who Stefan truly was. Vampirism completely changed the boy he used to know back in 1864. He gave Stefan a constant hard time about his "puppy diet", and his saintly ways. But <em>that<em> was who his brother was, Saint Stefan. The perfect son, the perfect friend, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect brother… Katherine had been the first time Stefan had behaved like anything but the golden boy he was. And, even then Damon had his doubts about what had been his brother's first rebellious decision, which had been the irresponsibility that comes with first love combined with Katherine's compulsion. But everything changed once Stefan became a vampire, and it changed fast. His human brother would have never brought that girl for Damon to feed on. His human brother would have never tried to decimate the founding families out of revenge for Katherine's death. Human Stefan would have never killed their father. But Stefan would never be human again. He would be eternally damaged; he would spend most of eternity being a sick, uncontrollable, addicted vampire. But mainly, he would spend his entire existence struggling.

When Stefan was on his best behavior, allowing his humanity to take control of his life, he fought his ripper side. When he was acting out on his most animalist and demonic wishes, his brother fought his deep, inherent, strong need to be… himself. Living as a vampire would never be easy for Stefan. While it wasn't a cakewalk for any undead creature, for Stefan it was worse. Damon, Caroline, Katherine, and most other vampires he had met in a century and a half, didn't have to face what Stefan had. They weren't rippers. They weren't controlled by their blood lust like that. One of the most difficult things in his undead life, one of the worse sides of being a vampire had been witnessing his brother's change. That would never be the Stefan he knew, the real Stefan. Vampirism ruined his brother for good, even if Stefan had it under control most of the time.

"That's for you being stupid," Damon turned his back to his brother, and started to walk away. It had been too painful already, though the pain had nothing to do with his aching hands.

"I'm not delivering his family back," Stefan insisted.

"I never asked you to do that; all I ask is for you to consider the consequences of your actions. Jeremy could have died today!" Damon yelled at his brother.

"Not my problem," the younger brother shrugged, coldly.

"It is your problem, because if it wasn't for you Klaus would be dead, Elena would be free, and this nightmare would have ended," Damon sped from his place, and took his brother by the collar.

"Maybe for you, you'd be dead, but I'm sure your girlfriend would be left heartbroken," Stefan added sarcastically.

"She's not my girlfriend, Stefan, but she will be. She will be because you ruined what you had. She tried, I saw her struggling, I saw her fighting. I saw her hurting because of you. She was willing to do everything for you. She was willing to overlook all your mistakes. She was willing to forgive you, but you kept hurting her. You kept coming back to torture her. I know you love her, and I know the guilt is probably already consuming you. You and I both know whatever you had is completely destroyed by now. But if you really love her, don't destroy her too. She's already hurting from losing you," Damon said with a mix of anger, understanding, and compassion.

"Like it won't make things easier for you," the blonde kept the cynical edge to his voice.

"It will, Stefan, but that's not the point. Do you think I ever wanted Elena to hurt as much as she's hurting now? What do you think I would choose, between her love and her happiness?" Damon looked at his brother, infuriated by his implication.

"Always trying to be the hero. It's not in you, Damon," Stefan smiled evilly.

"No, it isn't. It was somehow reserved for people like you, but there's something inside you pleading for you to be the villain. That's not you, Stefan, don't listen to it," the raven-haired brother sounded full of conviction at his statement, but also sad.

"But this is part of who I am now," Stefan looked away; sarcasm suddenly vanished from his voice.

"And I know it's exhausting to keep fighting it, but you don't have to do it alone," Damon said, and although he looked conflicted, and hurt, Stefan knew he meant it.

"Like you would be there for me," he said despite his feelings.

"You know I would," the older vampire showed no reluctance in his words.

"What about Elena?"

"I guess she's better off without any of us, anyway. Just think about it," Damon said, turning and leaving his brother behind him.

"Help me destroy Klaus," Stefan said, and Damon stopped on his tracks.

"Do you actually have a plan, or are you just planning to provoke him to paint Mystic Falls red?" Damon asked with his back turned to his brother.

"One of the coffins won't open. I think whatever is inside is important, and it may be the key to killing him," was his reply; one that he hoped would pique his brother's interest.

"Or maybe it's just another member from his family, someone stronger than him, or too dangerous to let roam free, but not enough to kill him," Damon offered pessimistically.

"We have to try," he younger brother said almost desperately.

"Actually I think I know of someone who may have some information about how to kill Klaus," Damon said.

"Who?"

"Sage," the blue-eyed vampire said simply.

"Dark Zone-Sage?" Stefan frowned.

"Yes," Damon wanted to roll his eyes. As if there was another Sage any vampire had ever heard of.

"And do you know where it is, how to find her? Nobody does. No vampire who ever went there ever came back," Stefan stated.

"I know, I _lived _there for ten years," Damon offered matter-of-factly, his brother's mouth left ajar.

"How did I never know about it?" he asked almost indignant with the secret his brother kept from him. The Dark Zone was as much of a legend as the Originals among vampire society. It was a city in The United States that was habited almost exclusively by vampires. The only exceptions were the humans kept for blood companions. It was like a secret society, except there were no invitations being sent to anyone. Many believed the Originals were the ones who kept the city, but as far as Stefan could say, Klaus had no idea where it was. And if Klaus didn't know, it was because he was keeping his distance, and Klaus only kept distance from the very few, almost non-existent, threats to his life.

"I don't keep a journal for a reason, Stefan," this time Damon didn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at his brother.

"When did you live there?" the younger vampire was curious.

"Early years of last century," Damon added, nonchalantly.

"When do we leave then?" Stefan asked, seeing his brother was annoyed by his many questions. It was easy to annoy Damon like that.

"Oh, no. When I'm leaving is not your business. I'm not taking you with me," Damon said firmly.

"And why not?" Stefan crossed his arms against his chest, challenging his brother.

"I don't trust you," the raven-haired vampire said crudely.

"I don't feel any differently," Stefan offered a cynical smile.

"When you're back being the terror of all woodland creatures, we'll talk about trust," Damon said, turning away to leave.

* * *

><p>Elena had invited Bonnie over. She'd thought her friend would want to say goodbye to Jeremy, and after he left with Alaric to the airport, she asked the witch to stay longer. Things were still a little bit strained between them. She didn't agree with Elena's decision to send her brother away. She knew Jeremy had agreed to the compulsion, but she also knew he only did it because he felt guilty. He knew he was potentially the person that would break Elena's heart for good, if he was killed like the rest of their family had been. As much as he wanted to stay, fight, and protect his sister, he knew he was an easy target. And that would do her more harm than good .. And because he couldn't do that to his sister, he decided to agree with their plan. Bonnie knew it, Elena knew it, everybody knew it.<p>

"Is there something else bothering you?" Bonnie asked. She had known Elena her whole life, and she knew the edgy behavior her friend had exhibited the last couple of days was unusual. They had been through a lot of things since they'd found out about the supernatural world around them, but never Elena behaved like that.

"Other than having to brainwash my brother again? No, I'm peachy," Elena snapped at her best friend, and the witch actually frowned.

"I know I gave you a bad time for that, Elena. But there's something going on, and it's not related to Jeremy. I've been your friend since we were little girls, Elena. You don't snap at people like that, and you're definitely not that sarcastic. Spending too much time with Damon is definitely rubbing his personality onto you," Bonnie frowned slightly.

"Too bad that's not the only rubbing going on…" she thought out loud, regretting the words immediately. She didn't plan to share the kiss with anyone, let alone Bonnie. Out of anyone she knew the person next to herwould have the strongest reaction to what happened between her and her ex's brother.

"Elena?" her best friend asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"I don't want to talk about it," the doppelganger tried to end the discussion, but her friend wouldn't have it.

"What happened?" Bonnie meant business, already thinking of the ways Damon may have made a terrible situation worse. She knew he was reckless, and sometimes it seemed like he didn't have any functional brain cells in his head. He could do a lot of damage when he was emotionally unstable, and even though she'd only known him for just over a year, she felt he wasn't far from losing it. She didn't need Elena to tell her how frustrated and angry he was because they had failed to kill Klaus. He had made it clear to everyone. And he seemed even more irritated by Stefan's latest actions. He wasn't the only one feeling like that about both developments, but he was the one that was dangerous when he lost his temper.

"Let it go," Elena complained, burying her head in her pillow out of frustration.

"Are you telling me or will I have to pay a visit to the boarding house?" Bonnie asked, even more seriously. They couldn't deal with both Salvatore brothers being out of it at the same time. Stefan had been making some dangerous and risky decisions, putting everyone's lives at danger. If Damon became just as reckless, they wouldn't last another day.

"Are you seriously threatening me?" the brunette looked at her friend, shocked by her words.

"Actually, I'm threatening him. You know I don't need much to feel compelled to do so," Bonnie clarified, but it only frustrated Elena more.

"We kissed, okay? He kissed me, and I kissed him back," Elena admitted, irritated.

"Oh… that?" the witch completely dismissed the revelation, not being affected by it at all. Elena was absolutely shocked at the lack of reaction. She had expected Bonnie to preach a testament after she admitted it.

"Is that it? I tell you I kissed the person you despise the most in the world, and this is all you have to say?" Elena asked, and Bonnie just shrugged.

"What did you expect? It wasn't like everyone didn't see it coming," the witch said, almost dismissing the one thing that kept Elena up at night .

"Excuse me?"

"Elena, as much as it hurts me to admit it, Damon has changed. I never thought he was capable of being this person, but he is. The only reason why I insisted on knowing what he did was because I was afraid he had finally lost it again. But the truth is, he's proved himself trustworthy. He has learned how to control his inner demon; he stopped being a reckless jerk. He's even showed some humanity to people who don't go by the name of "Elena Gilbert". I think after what happened with Stefan that night, preventing him from killing Klaus, and then kidnapping Klaus' coffins, Damon proved that he isn't as unstable as he used to be. It was the highest test, and he passed it," Bonnie explained, and for a moment Elena didn't know what to say. It took her a few moments, but she finally found her voice again.

"Are you defending him?" Elena asked completely stunned by her friend's words.

"Not exactly. Is he ever going to be my favorite person in the world? Not even close. Do I more than bear him nowadays? Yeah, and it isn't even because of you anymore. He earned my respect, and while he may never earn my appreciation, or even my trust, I trust him with your life. And he's not the person I despise the most in the world. That'd be Klaus," the witch offered her friend a sweet smile, but Elena knew she wasn't just kidding. She had moved from on her hatred towards the older Salvatore brother.

"I don't know what to say," the doppelganger confessed, still shocked.

"You could start by saying if it was a good kiss," the other teenager asked, with a naughty smile on her face. For a moment, it was like they were sixteen again, and Bonnie wanted to know how Elena's first date with Matt had gone. It was good to have those giddy moments with her girlfriends, and she missed Caroline being there with them. But she wasn't ready to face her feelings about that kiss.

"It doesn't matter, it can't happen again," Elena tried to shut her friend out again.

"So does that mean it wasn't only good, but that he rocked your world?" the smile on her friend's face grew even more wicked.

"Bonnie!" Elena exclaimed, showing her frustration.

"What? I remember Caroline's stories about Damon's… skills. He may be the devil incarnate but he's hot as fire, Elena, and he does seem the type that knows exactly what he's doing," she wriggled her eyebrows, leading Elena to even more vividly remember the man that had been haunting her sleep.

"That he does," she said, almost shy.

"So why don't you want to talk about it?" Bonnie put on her serious voice again. She could see something was clearly bothering Elena, and if she knew her best friend well, she knew exactly what it was.

"Because the more I think about it, the harder it becomes for me avoid doing it again," Elena confessed, burying her head in her hands.

"Don't take me wrong, this is not a push, but why you can't do it again when you clearly enjoyed it?" Bonnie realized her friend needed her, and even if it was Damon Salvatore they were talking about, she would be there for Elena. The Gilbert girl had been through a lot of things in the past few months, and it would be wrong to just give her friend the cold shoulder because it was related to Damon.

"Because I was with his brother not even four months ago, the brother that became a monster to save him, because although Stefan isn't the guy I knew, I still love him, and because I don't have a clue how I feel about Damon," Elena confessed, her face still hid behind her hands.

"Please, Elena, don't give me that."

"You know it's true!" Elena looked at her friend, and Bonnie could see how lost, confused, and frustrated her best friend was.

"Everything you said about Stefan is true, but you know fairly well what you feel for Damon," she offered softly, seeing that maybe it was harder for Elena than she had thought.

"I actually don't," she sighed, and her hands were again covering her tired face.

"Yes you do, Elena, but all the other reasons you have just mentioned make you feel guilty about it. You fell for him. And honestly, who can blame you?" Bonnie reached for one of Elena's hands, and took it away from her face.

"You, for one," Elena smiled weakly at her best friend.

"He's been there for you when I wasn't. Caroline had filled me in on everything he did for you, how he protected you from what Stefan has been doing, how he tried to cheer you up, how he backed off from his own feelings, and became a genuine friend. He's the person who has been there for you through everything, the good and the bad. He swallowed his feelings, his pride, his love for his brother, and his guilt, everything to be there for you. He had some little mishaps, like with Bill Forbes and Alaric, but we're talking about Damon here. He's made so much progress, all because he knew you needed him. The same way he's earned my respect, he's earned your love, Elena," Bonnie offered, and the understanding and even supportive look she held calmed the other girl down.

"So you're not trying to talk me out of it?"

"No, I'm not. But as I said, I'm not pushing you into his arms either. He's made progress, he proved to be more stable than I ever thought he would be. But he's still a vampire. The same problems you would have with Stefan apply to him as well. Actually, it might be harder with him than it had ever been with Stefan until Klaus took him. Damon's changed, but he's still Damon. He won't think twice before killing someone as long as you're safe, and while I support him with that, I also know sometimes the kill isn't that necessary. What I'm trying to say is that being with Damon is probably going to be much harder than being with Stefan ever was. I can't see you being okay with turning, and I know you had always dreamed of getting married, having kids, and growing old by the side of the man you loved. None of this would ever happen with a vampire. We can't help who we fall in love with, Elena. Even if you had fallen in love with old Damon, I couldn't judge you for that, though you'd never have my support," Bonnie concluded, and only nodded thankfully. They stayed silent for a few moments, until the doppelganger finally spoke again.

"But, what about the other things? Stefan is already unstable as it is- without knowing about me and Damon," Elena looked defeated, and Bonnie knew that was the root of all her best friend's problems.

"But what is there to know, Elena? You kissed. I know given their past it is a big deal, as much as it is for you too, but it's still just a kiss," she justified.

"And what a kiss…" the brunette smiled shyly.

"As if you needed to say it, it was written all over your face… mixed with your pretense of being angry," the giddy smile was again stamped in her friend's face.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Actually the better question is, have you always been that obvious? And yes, you have," Bonnie winked, and for the first time since the kiss, Elena actually smiled contently.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to Louisiana," Damon announced, as he entered her bedroom, not longer after Bonnie left.<p>

"Why? When?" she asked, shocked. She was still sitting on her bed, thinking about the conversation she had just had with her best friend, not quite believing things had gone that well with Bonnie. If she was reacting like that, she knew Caroline- and maybe even Matt would react even better. Her only remaining concern was Stefan.

"To visit an old friend of mine. I think she might help," Damon didn't elaborate much.

"And old friend like… Bree?" Elena couldn't stop her mouth from forming the question. Damon had made progress, but he wasn't as sharp on his game as before. Also, he was pretty exhausted from the conversation with his brother, so he didn't catch her jealousy.

"No, she's not a witch, she's a vampire, a very, very, very old one," he offered, but it didn't make Elena feel any better.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, although she wanted to ask a much different question.

"I would leave today, but I'm actually tired, so I'm leaving tomorrow, first thing in the morning, if my brother doesn't make things difficult," he added bitterly. He had been honest with Stefan when he said he didn't trust him anymore. And because of that he had to be extra careful to leave without having his brother following him all the way to Louisiana. He owed it to Sage to keep it a secret. The first time he had ever mentioned The Dark Zone in over a hundred years had been minutes ago.

"How long will you be away?"

"I have no idea, it could be a couple of days, it could be a week. Sage can be… difficult, demanding, charming," he looked for the best word to describe the ancient vampire, but there wasn't one. She was unique.

"Oh," Elena simply said.

"Just don't do anything stupid while I'm away, okay?" he pleaded gently, despite the offending words.

"I'm not stupid, Damon," she said, irritated.

"I never said you were, Elena. But Stefan… he isn't exactly stable these days," he said with disappointment lacing his voice. Elena knew by just the worn look in his blue eyes that he had met with Stefan recently. Probably before coming to see her.

"The understatement of the century," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious, Elena,"

"And so am I, Damon. I think I, of all people, know how lost and gone Stefan really is. You don't need to warn me about it," she offered tiredly.

"And that's why I want you to be very careful around him, okay?" he said sitting really close to her in the bed, "I don't want him to hurt you. I don't want you to deal with more than you already have. I won't be here to take care of you, to protect you, to be here for you," he said cupping her cheek with his hand, stroking his thumb softly against her warm skin.

"So, don't leave me alone. I need you around me, Damon. Without you, I don't know if I'll be able to handle all of this.," she admitted, feeling her eyes glossing over with unshed tears.

"I need to give it a try, Elena. When I'm back, I'll tell you more about Sage. She may be the key to defeat Klaus. She was the first vampire to be turned by another vampire. She's the oldest outside of the Originals. She knows a lot of things, and I believe with the information she already has, and the information I'll give her, she will do everything she can to help us destroy Klaus," he explained slowly, and softly, wiping away a strain tear she couldn't hold back.

"I'm not asking you not to go, but to take me with you," she said, moving one of her hands to his, intertwining their fingers. She felt slightly better after talking to Bonnie, but that wasn't what led her to hold his hand like that. The prospect of him leaving, of being alone, of losing the one thing that was constant in her life lately, made her vulnerable. Vulnerable to him, and to her feelings.

"It's too dangerous," he squeezed her hand ever so tenderly.

"One more reason for you not to be alone," she moved her other hand to his, and held the four hands together on her lap.

"It's not dangerous for me, Elena. It's dangerous for you," he explained, enjoying the feeling of being this close to her.

"Why? You'll be there with me," she said automatically, and Damon felt his heart rushing in his chest. He knew she trusted him, but when she said it like that, so honestly, with such vulnerability he couldn't hold back his emotions. It only made him even more sure that she would be his someday. They would have a shot, and he hoped he didn't blow it.

"Because, I'm going to a place known as the Dark Zone. It's a city inhabited by vampires, the oldest ones, their families, and their blood companions," he explained, and he heard her heartrate increasing as he spoke.

"They killed the whole population? Or they started a city?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"I suppose the first option is accurate," he avoided her eyes briefly.

"I could pretend to be… your blood companion," she said weakly, the words almost inaudible.

"It's not that simple, Elena," he sighed. She had no idea what she was asking.

"Why not? I trust you," she once again reassured him, and he couldn't possibly get tired of hearing those words.

"There's a reason why nobody knows where this city is. Not vampires and definitely not humans. They won't just believe it if I say you're my blood companion. They'll look for evidences… in your body," he looked away longer this time. He couldn't talk about her body, while he felt her skin against his. Especially if it involved him biting her.

"Oh," she said, surprised.

"Yeah…"

"You don't understand," she said, after they stayed in silence for a couple of minutes.

"What?" he asked, clueless about what she meant.

"I can't let you leave. I can't… I don't know how to be… without you," she admitted, looking down at their joined hands.

"You have your friends, Alaric is here, I know Jeremy left, and I know Stefan isn't someone you can turn to, but you won't be alone," he removed one hand from hers, and moved it to her chin, tilting it up.

"But none of them are you," she admitted, her eyes finally meeting his again. "I know I sound pathetic, like the idiotic damsel in distress, but all those months, all I had was you. I don't have any strength left in me, Damon. All I have is you. When you're around I feel safe, I feel protected, and I feel strong," she completed, and her tears were now freely embracing her skin.

"There's only one other alternative, Elena," he said quietly.

"What?"

"I could try to convince them you're my… you're mine," he added, watching closely her reaction.

"Yours?" she gulped.

"Yes, we'd have to pretend to be together, and we'd have to be very convincing. No matter what my reasons may be, if they found out you're not mine, they'll take you away. They don't take risks. That's why they've been living there for centuries in relative peace," he clarified, although he was pretty sure she had understood it from the start.

"And does it have to be as graphic as the bites?"

"I don't know. If I only have to convince Sage, I don't think it'll be necessary. But although she's the oldest, and probably the most powerful, she doesn't rule the city alone," he explained, and she stayed quiet for a moment.

"It's not like we've never kissed," she planned for it to sound like a joke, but the moment the words left her lips, her eyes were on his.

"Are you sure about it?"

"No, Damon. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I know for sure it's better than me staying and you leaving," she said with a determined voice.

"What about school? And your friends? Klaus will suspect something isn't right if you're not here," Damon said.

"I can't let him keep making decisions for me. He killed my aunt, he tried to kill my brother, he's the reason I sent Jeremy away. It has to stop, and it has to stop now," she said, her fierce expression contradicting the desperate one of only a couple of minutes ago.

"Are you sure this is a good idea… you and me, alone, pretending to be together?" he asked, and she knew exactly what he was getting at. The lines between reality and pretend could become blurry, and they could really mess up their already complicated relationship.

"I'm going, Damon," she answered firmly, and he only nodded.

"'Dark Zone' sounds tragic, is it that bad?" she asked, not denying the name gave her the creeps.

"We're dark creatures. Just because they allowed themselves to live in the same place, it doesn't mean they're any less dark. Uninvited or unclaimed humans that go there, are either made companions, or simply killed. And the uninvited vampires never leave. Not alive, and definitely not dead," he elaborated, and she felt her body being filled with fear.

"And how do you plan to leave? How do you know where this place is?"

"I've lived there… but Sage let me leave. She knew about… Katherine. She… let me leave," he said uncomfortably. He didn't want to go through the details of his relationship with Sage, and the reasons why she allowed him to leave.

"I see," she simply added.

"Maybe you should sleep at the boarding house today. It'll raise fewer suspicions if I don't come here to take you. Don't pack anything. We'll buy you clothes, shoes, toiletries, and whatever you need on the way. Klaus can't have a clue about our whereabouts," he instructed, and she only nodded.

"Let's go then," she suggested, and she really didn't have any idea what she was stepping into. Not the slightest.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the delay but that had been some miscommunication between me and Nymphadora, my beta. But then I asked Daniela to edit this chapter, which I really appreciate, and then Nymphadora also sent me, realizing that I never got the file in the first place. I want to thank my lovely betas. You are great girls.<em>

_So yeah, I'm going to write a Dark Zone. And the name is very adequate for what I plan to make it about. I have great plans for Sage, for the Originals, and of course, DE. I must warn you next chapter is almost all about SE. I think a closure is needed. So truths need to be said, and they need to know where they stand. But there's some DE too._

_Thanks a lot for reviewing, I know you can give me more. As today is my birthday, make it a gift and make me happy :)_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	9. VIII

.

**VIII**

* * *

><p>Much to Damon's dismay, Elena demanded to talk to Stefan before they left. She knew there were risks involved in going on this trip with Damon, and she wanted to clear the air with her ex-boyfriend. Maybe for good. Damon didn't like it one bit, especially because she didn't provide a lot of details regarding what she wanted to say to his brother. He tried to cover the disappointment, and the hurt. In his mind, it seemed liked she wanted to justify her actions to Stefan. She couldn't just go on a trip with him without clearing it with Stefan first. And it bothered Damon a lot. That had to be the reason why she asked for privacy. He didn't want to, but he conceded. Although Damon didn't trust his brother, he knew Stefan wouldn't purposely hurt Elena. Or at least that was what he honestly expected.<p>

"Damon said you wanted to talk. Start," Stefan said as he entered the den, where she was waiting for him. It was past ten at night, but as Damon wanted to leave before the sunrise the following day, Elena didn't have any choice but to talk tonight.

"Yes, there's something I need to tell you," she said avoiding his eyes. She didn't do it because of what she was about to say, but because of the emptiness she now saw in them. It was nothing like the Stefan she loved, and it hurt her every time she faced it.

"So just start talking," he said impatiently.

"I kissed Damon," she said, this time looking at him. She didn't want him to think she regretted it or that she was ashamed of her actions. Elena just felt like she should be the one to let Stefan know that things between her and his brother were progressing into something more than friendship.

"Was that all?" Stefan said, after a brief silence, but he couldn't cover the hurt on his face.

"No, I'm going to travel with him. We'll be away for a few days," she added weakly. No matter how much he had hurt her, seeing his pain still affected her deeply. She still loved the man standing across from her. He may have broken her on so many levels, but pain never took love away. She didn't want to hurt him, she had never believed in the 'eye for an eye' approach.

"Are you going to the Dark Zone?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes,"

"Is Damon out of his mind? You won't last a day there. Even if they decide to turn you, instead of just making you their appetizer, they won't allow you to leave," he said, and for the first time in months, she saw Stefan looking genuinely worried about her. It was different from the night at the bonfire. He was doing what Klaus had asked him to do back then, but he had been released from that obligation for a while now.

"I'm going as Damon's…" she fished around for the right term, but her reluctance to find a better word, led Stefan to believe she meant she was Damon's.

"You move fast, don't you?" he said sarcastically, and she looked at him, indignant.

"You don't have a right to say anything about the way I choose to fix what you've broken," she offered through clenched teeth.

"You're making it look like I did you a favor," he kept his cynical façade, knowing it would rile her up.

"I don't know, Stefan, maybe you did, maybe you didn't. I'm not trying to hurt you, although that's all you try to do to me," she sat; tired from this situation, tired from the pain her feelings caused her, and everyone else involved.

"He doesn't deserve you, Elena," he offered quietly, before completing, "Neither of us does."

Hearing the last words fueled something inside Elena. She hated what he did to their love, their relationship. His hurtful actions were difficult for her to accept, but nothing was harder than accepting that they had lost forever once they once had. Even if they ever got back together in the future, she knew something had been broken beyond repair between them.

"You deserved me, we had something that is hard to let go of, Stefan. I don't know how you could dismiss it so easily. Despite everything you did to me, despite you ignoring that Klaus would kill Jeremy if you didn't give back his coffins, despite all the reasons you gave me to hate you, I still love you. As much as I want to just let it go some days, I just can't," she admitted, and Stefan was actually shocked by her words. He hadn't expected a confession of love at all. If anything, he had been steeling himself for her hatred.

But she didn't have a clue of what she was saying. He didn't dismiss their love or their relationship easily. Actually, he didn't dismiss it at all. But the guilt was eating him from the inside. She deserved better than him, and he could never be with her again after all he did. And the guiltier he felt, he harsher he became, hurting her even more, and consequently leading him to feel even worse. It was a vicious cycle, the vicious cycle of his existence as a vampire.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about me, especially not when you go kissing my brother," he quipped, and she felt anger rising in her chest at his tone.

"What happens between Damon and me has nothing to do with you," she said fiercely.

"Except that it does, Elena. It's history repeating itself all over again," he added, knowing that it would affect Elena. He knew how she had always feared being Katherine.

"I'm not like her," she said calmly because she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt her with those words.

"But still you found yourself in the same position she was in," he challenged, but she wouldn't back off now. No matter what he said, she was going to go through with her plan before leaving with Damon.

"We are broken up, Stefan. I have a right to move on," she simply stated, holding back her emotions the best she could.

"With my brother?" he asked cynically.

"With any man I fall in love with!" she yelled at him. He didn't have a right to judge her decisions. He'd been the one to push her further and further away.

"What did you just say?" his voice was suddenly low and weak.

"I fell for Damon, and it started before you left with Klaus. I just kept denying it. I'm still denying it. Do you think I want to come between you like _she_ did? Do you think I want to break irremediably what had already been damaged? I don't, Stefan, but I also can't help my feelings," she admitted, and she felt bad for confessing it to Stefan. The first person that deserved to hear all of this was Damon himself. But just because she knew how she felt; it didn't mean she was ready to act on her feelings. And that was why she was having this conversation with Stefan. The first thing she had to do to give her feelings for Damon a try was clear it up with Stefan. That was the way she found to make her different from Katherine. She was going to be honest with both of them – although she didn't plan to confess her feelings to Damon just yet. She needed to give Stefan time to heal from it. _She _needed time to heal from her last tragic love story.

And for that reason, she was making it clear for Stefan where she stood. And this was exactly where she stood. She still loved Stefan, but she was in love with Damon. Had been for a long time now. But it wouldn't be fair to confess her feelings to the older vampire if they wouldn't have a chance to be together. _Yet,_ the word kept resonating in her mind, they didn't have a chance to be together _yet_. It wasn't fair to him – or to her – to give him a shell of a woman, what she had been these days. Damon didn't deserve someone as broken as she was. She knew he would disagree about that. She knew he would have her the way she chose to give herself to him. And that was why she was choosing the best, her best. That was what _he_ deserved.

"And what do you expect me to say, Elena? Congratulations?" he asked, defeated, the weight of the world being dropped onto his shoulders with her confession, his heart breaking into millions of pieces.

"No, I just wanted you to hear it from me," she said quietly, seeing how he was hurting.

"Well, mission accomplished. Would you mind?" he muttered dejectedly, showing her the door.

"I'll never stop loving you," she confessed, and in that moment she couldn't hold back the tear from rolling down her face.

"I don't need your pity," he answered with his jaw tight. He didn't want _his_ emotions to start showing, but she was making it nearly impossible.

"A love like this can't be forgotten," she offered, and it actually touched his heart. At least she had felt the same way he did at some point. It was a good consolation prize in the life he was forced to live because of the dark, and currently dominant, side of his nature.

"I know I've been a jerk, but there's no need for you to just throw salt in my wounds, Elena. It doesn't matter if you'll always love me, if you're _choosing_ him," he ignored his feelings, and once again tried to inflict pain on her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Stefan," she confessed, approaching him carefully. She didn't want to lead him to do anything reckless. So when she realized he wasn't pulling away, she reached for his hand.

"Even after all the pain I brought you? Even when I purposefully and coldly tried to break you?" he looked at her, guilt written all over his face. Her eyes softened, and for a second that was the Stefan she was used to look at. Those were the eyes she was familiar with, the ones she could keep her own locked on.

"Pain doesn't erase love," she said out loud what she thought a few minutes ago.

Stefan knew it too well. He knew detrimental behavior couldn't destroy affection. It could create bad feelings, but it couldn't completely banish the good ones.

"It should, what good can you get from loving me?" he confessed, looking at their joined hands. He never thought he would be this close to her again. But he also knew this was probably goodbye.

"Like I said, we can't help our feelings," she let her thumb caress his hand. Just because she was giving up on them, it didn't mean she would ever give up on him. She would always do her best to try to help him be the vampire she knew _he_ wanted to be. She knew how much it must have hurt him to be who he was now. She just couldn't understand why he didn't seem to fight it, why he seemed to have accepted it.

"Not the ones you have for me and not the ones you have for Damon," he sounded totally resigned about the end of their relationship. And looking at him she realized he was more resigned about it than he ever had been about his condition. And it broke her heart. She still loved him too much to see him hurting like that.

"Not at all. We can struggle against it, but love is a powerful force," she moved her free hand to his chin, bringing it up for him to look at her.

"How can you still love me?" he said, and all the emotions, all the love, the affection, the sorrow, the guilt, were there.

"How _can I not_ love you, Stefan? A part of me will always love you. The same way a part of you that will always love Katherine," she explained, and he only nodded slightly. But soon images of her and his brother filled his mind, and he couldn't stop himself from being bitter again. He could control his emotions less and less these days. Not that he really put a lot of effort trying to control them. He just gave up.

"A part of Damon will always love her too," he said. He didn't know why it was so difficult for him to accept Damon would finally have the girl. He could accept his defeat easily, he knew Elena deserved much better than him. But that wasn't Damon. Damon was just as toxic for her as he was. He loved his brother, but that girl deserved better than them both.

"Yeah, that's the same for everyone. Your first true love never goes away completely," she added softly, and once again he found his walls crumbling. She had a way to a person's heart that was really impressive.

"But still most people move on from it," he stated.

"They have to, Stefan," she offered sympathetically.

"Did you already? Did you already move on from me?" he asked her, sadness and sorrow flashing through his eyes.

Her silence spoke volumes, and the way she avoided his gaze had given him the answer she didn't have the heart to voice.

"I'm sorry for hurting you so much. The things I did, I can never forgive myself for them. I didn't want you to forgive me for them. That's why I kept pushing you away from me, and into his arms," Stefan decided to be honest with her, to open his heart, one last time. Deep down he knew he was aiming to have her compassion. He had just said he didn't want her pity, but he still wanted her, and everything she had to offer to him. He just thought he shouldn't, couldn't, and wouldn't.

Elena took a moment before answering. She didn't want to hurt him, especially when he was showing more vulnerability than he had showed in the past four months. She didn't want to trigger his cold, uncaring, Ripper persona again, but she came here with an agenda, and she wouldn't leave until she went through with it.

"You may have been responsible for pushing me away from you, but Damon, and Damon alone was what pulled me towards him," she confessed, and for the first time she avoided his eyes not because of what she saw in them, but because of her own words. She knew they would hurt him, and she didn't want to see it. She couldn't stand see the boy in front of her hurting any more. She was absolutely sure that nobody, not she, not his friends, not his brother, suffered more than he did about who he became.

"Are you admitting you would have cheated on me, even if none of this had happened?" he asked shocked, taking his hand from hers abruptly.

"No, I would never do that. I'm admitting to Damon being the only one responsible for making me fall for him, although he didn't do it on purpose," she took a step back, seeing that maybe she should have picked her words better. Maybe she should have invited Bonnie or Caroline to be around. Stefan seemed nearly possessed.

"You're truly naïve if you believe he didn't pursue you, that he didn't try to seduce you," he quipped, with disgust and anger filling his words.

"He also can't control how he feels, but you're wrong. He didn't make me fall in love with him when he tried to seduce me, quite the opposite," she bravely added, although something inside her was shouting at her to back off. Stefan had already gotten the picture she wanted him to have. She didn't need him to know the whole truth about her feelings for his brother.

"It's not like you avoided it, either." His comments were becoming bitterer, and filled with anger.

"You know I never reciprocated or encouraged his attempts, Stefan. I was his friend; we had always had an understanding. But no, I didn't fall in love with him back then. I fell in love with him when I started seeing him for who he is. When, one by one, his walls started to fall. When I finally saw the man behind the vampire. And while you made it easier for me to see him when you left, I started seeing him when he didn't spare anything, not even his life, to try to save me from the sacrifice. I fell in love with him when I saw how much he cared for Rose… when I saw with my own eyes how he loved me, but what sealed the deal was to see how devotedly he loves you," she said, and that stopped Stefan from the imminent explosion he was headed to. He had seen it, firsthand. Damon had done everything in his power to bring him back. He tried everything, and he knew he wasn't making any more moves on Elena. He knew _Damon_ also felt guilty. It came as a surprise for him to find out, through Bonnie, that Elena didn't have a clue about most things Damon knew Stefan did while he was with Klaus, and after they came back to Mystic Falls. And the small part she knew was because she found Damon's articles on 'animal attacks'.

"Have you ever told him any of this?" Stefan asked quietly. He didn't know how those words worked through his emotions, but Stefan finally realized that his brother deserved something good.

He finally realized that the problem with losing something to Damon, was that he had never really lost anything to his brother. He was the golden son, he was the girls' favorite, he was the one Katherine had loved, he was the one Elena's friends liked. But this was only because none of those people knew Damon for who he really was. While their mother did, and he even suspected Cecilia loved Damon more than she loved him, Giuseppe was had always held a grudge against the older Salvatore brother. Too much to even get to know his own son. Katherine actually had a chance to know Damon, but she was never a good person. She looked for trouble, and her greatest pleasure had always been playing with people's emotions. She couldn't be touched by who Damon was because her heart was too dark for that. But, hearing Elena say those words about his brother, made _him_ acknowledge consciously what he had always known. Damon loved him despite and through everything. Damon had been hurt by most of the people in his life, and that changed the person he had been, but his ability to love was still intact. His brother, for more than understandable reasons, avoided love like the plague, because it had always brought him pain. But when he couldn't resist the powerful feeling, when he couldn't stop the river of emotions from drowning him, Damon loved like no one else he had met. And he knew, Damon even made it clear earlier, that there was nobody he loved more than him. Not even Elena.

"No," she admitted, surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"So I think you should stop here, and save the rest of this for him," he offered, and there was a ghost of a smile on his face. And this time it didn't seem to be a resigned one. He would still have trouble knowing he was losing to his brother. He spent over one hundred and fifty years feeling like he should be the one winning. He had been blind by be the competition Giuseppe and Katherine made it. Actually, if he was going to lose to someone, there was no one better than his brother. Not because Damon was his brother, but because he simply deserved it. He knew he still needed to make old habits – and feelings – die, and it would take time, but at least he was finally, really giving his brother a chance. An honest one.

"I'm not ready…" she said, without really thinking about the words. It was the truth she faced every day. And it was exhausting to feel this powerless about something so powerful. She felt like a coward.

"Elena. I got it. I know how you feel, but I can't be the one you confide your everlasting love for my brother to," he said, and this time there was no anger, no bitterness in his voice. Just acceptance.

"I'm sorry," and somehow, he knew she wasn't apologizing for what he just said. She was sorry for him, she was sorry for them. And so was he.

"Me too," he admitted, and she nodded, turning to leave.

"And Stefan?" she said, stopping at the doorframe.

"He deserves my love, the same way he deserves yours," she offered, before leaving him alone in the room. But by then Stefan had finally been able to see it too.

* * *

><p><em>I'm ready, <em>she texted Damon as soon as she entered his bedroom. They were going to leave from the boarding house, and she already had everything she needed with her, despite his desire for her not to take anything with her. She wouldn't raise any suspicions with the few toiletries she put in her purse before they left.

It took him long enough, but nearly one in the morning he arrived at the house, almost an hour and a half after she'd sent him the text. And he wasn't exactly sober when he entered his bedroom and found her sitting on his bed.

"Took you long enough," she offered, appraising his moves. He didn't seem to possess his usual cat-like grace.

"The same can't be said about you," he said bitterly, and Elena frowned, not expecting or understanding where that was coming from.

"I was wondering if I could sleep here?" she ignored his words, and asked the million-dollar question.

"I'm the one who said you should sleep here tonight, Elena. I didn't think you were that slow," he offended her, and her frown only grew deeper. Where the hostility was coming from, and more importantly, why?

"Are you drunk, Damon?" she asked noticing how he was having a hard time undoing his shirt's buttons.

"No kidding, Einstein," he answered sarcastically, still struggling with his buttons.

Elena walked from her spot, and stood in front of him, moving his hands from his shirt, and starting doing it herself.

"Did something happen?" she asked cautiously. She had just talked for over an hour with a touchy and unpredictable brother. Ninety minutes wasn't enough for her to recover, and go through it all over again with the other Salvatore.

"Nope, everything is right as expected in the world of Mystic Falls and its inhabitants," he answered, and except for the first words, his voice was still filled with sarcasm.

"Are you okay?" she asked once she finished with all his buttons.

"Peachy," he offered a fake smile, and walked away from her, as if her presence was noxious to him.

"So can I or can't I sleep here?" she asked feeling really unsure about it. Something definitely happened, but it didn't seem like he was in a sharing mood.

"Why are you asking me? First, this house legally belongs to you, so you can do whatever you want with it. Second, I'm sure my brother doesn't mind, so why bother to ask me? Third, didn't I just clear up that I invited you to spend the night?" he quipped, and she didn't know how to react. Maybe she should look for a guest room or one of the couches downstairs.

"Sure, I'll find… some place for me to spend the night," she answered weakly. His bed was big enough for both of them sleep without even coming close to touching each other, but she realized being around him wasn't a good idea. He was edgy, like he used to be, but it'd been a long time since she saw him like that. She didn't know what to do about it. She didn't know how to react.

"Not going to Stefan's bed?" he raised one of his eyebrows.

"No," she simply answered, not knowing why he was even suggesting it. Maybe he was more intoxicated than she had thought.

"Just watch your back, some people aren't really interested in your well being," he winced at the reminder of what he had done. At the time it seemed like a great idea, but he wasn't as sure anymore.

"Who?"she frowned. He was starting to make less and less sense.

"I can't go to Sage with empty hands, I'm sure she'll be on our side," he said showing the daggers that had been hidden in the back of his waist.

"Damon, what did you do?" Elena's eyes widened. There wasn't one, but three daggers.

"I think the more the merrier," Damon said, looking unsure. But before he could say another word, another voice echoed through his bedroom.

"Hello, Elena," the deep voice announced from the doorframe.

"Elijah," Elena said above a whisper.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know there was a sick amount of SE here, but I feel like it was needed. I think the show needs it. Elena needs to have this conversation with Stefan if she's convinced she feels something for Damon or if she wants to be in a relationship with him. I don't think SE is epic, quite forced if you asked me. Things between them happened too fast, but with time they became strong. I do think Elena will always love Stefan. But I think she's also in love with Damon. In my story that's where DE starts to progress. The kiss was a wake up call, but now things will evolve.<em>

_I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday and reviewed last chapter. Keep the reviews coming, people, there are so few of them :)_

_Thanks a lot to **Nymphadora** who was my beta to this chapter, despite having so many things to do._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	10. IX

.

**IX**

* * *

><p>"Damon what happened?" Elena asked, ignoring Elijah in the bedroom.<p>

"Like I said, I couldn't go to Sage empty-handed," he didn't care to elaborate, and she knew something was off. It wasn't only because he was drunk. There was something different in his eyes. Particularly the way they avoided hers.

"Kol is Sage's maker," Elijah jumped into their conversation, although Elena hadn't acknowledged him, except for saying his name.

"Kol?" she asked still confused.

"My youngest brother. Sage was the first vampire ever turned by another vampire. She and my brother fell in love, and when he revealed what we were, she wanted to be the same," he continued his explanation, and it finally made sense.

"Oh," was all Elena was capable of saying. She loved Stefan, and was in love with Damon, but turning was something she had never considered.

"Sage has always had a natural darkness in her," the Original clarified when he realized she couldn't understand how someone could want something like that, although Damon, Stefan and even her mother once made the decision to become vampires.

"And where is your brother?" she asked, seeing that Damon wouldn't be giving her any answers. She needed to talk to him when they were alone, and preferably when he wasn't drunk.

"He's yet to wake up. I've been sleeping for only a few months. Kol's been sleeping for almost all his existence, it'll take a few more hours for him to come to," Elijah offered, his eyes following Damon's every move. He knew that Damon had the daggers, and when he read the note the younger vampire left on his suit, he came to meet him, but he wanted the daggers. They were far too dangerous to be kept by anyone but their family.

"Why?"

"Let's just say he has a temper, and he and Niklaus don't agree about a lot of things," he explained briefly.

"Once you're done telling fairytales, meet me at the den," Damon said, walking out of the room without giving Elijah a chance to answer.

Elena followed his departure with longing eyes, releasing a heavy sigh.

"He seems hurt," Elijah offered, deciding he would probably have to make a deal with Damon for the daggers rather than just steal them, or force him to give them. He wasn't sure what the younger vampire had in mind, and only when he mentioned Sage to Elena, had he learned she was involved.

"I never know what to expect from Damon," she sighed again, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Is he planning to go to Sage?" Elijah asked, preferring to talk to Elena rather than a drunk Damon.

"Yes, we're leaving soon," she said purposefully limiting the information she was providing.

"We?" he asked, and for the first time since she had met him, his expression changed into something other than his characteristic serenity. He seemed surprised.

"Yes, I'm going with him," she offered, and she noticed that like Stefan, Elijah didn't seem too certain about her trip.

"Did he explain to you what the Dark Zone is? I suppose that's where Sage still lives," Elijah asked, his usual expression back on his face.

"Yeah, that's where we're going. He said it's a vampire community where humans and new vampires aren't welcomed," she said, and Elijah really wondered for a moment if Damon was in his right mind. What Elena was saying didn't start to describe what the Dark Zone really was. It was a place that not even the Originals dared to go. Klaus, for obvious reasons, and Elijah and Rebekah simply for self preservation.

"Elena. It is more than a vampire community, but I'm sure it doesn't fit the picture you have in mind. It's called Dark Zone for a reason," he said, and it seemed, just like Damon, that he had a hard time elaborating on that.

"It seems like Sage is a good friend of Damon's. He's confident it won't be a problem for me to go. I'll go as his…," she said, and once again Elijah seemed surprised.

"Do you understand what being 'his' implies, Elena?" he asked concerned. Elijah had always had a special affection for her. At first, because she reminded him of Tatia in a way Katherine never did. But he also admired her strength, and her courage.

"I guess… he won't bite me, unless he really needs to, we'll pretend," she said, feeling deeply uncomfortable, especially because the Damon that left the room reminded her of the Damon she first met, and not of the Damon she agreed to travel with.

"So if you need to let him feed on you, and you feed on him you will during sex?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"He mentioned him biting me, but he never said a word of me taking his blood, and definitely never a word about sex," she confessed, and Elijah only nodded.

"That's how you create a bond with a vampire, Elena, and a bond is what marks you as his," he said calmly, as he usually did. But the look in her face made him want to elaborate it more."When you allow both to happen simultaneously during sex, a bond is created. Contrary to what most people think, it doesn't change many things, but you'll feel connected to him. It's almost like being sired. Have they ever explained to you what siring is?" the Original wanted to make sure Elena would understand everything that was at stake before she agreed to leave with Damon. It really surprised him that the Salvatore really considered taking her, especially without providing such important information about everything involved.

"Do you mean I'll be sired by Damon?"

"Not exactly, but there will be a connection between the two of you, just like between a sire and its creation," he explained.

"Klaus sired Tyler. Apparently this is a common occurrence between hybrids," she offered, and Elijah actually raised his eyebrows at that.

"So my brother figured out how to create his army?" he said with a tad of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes, and this siring thing doesn't look like a good thing," she said unsure of Damon's plan. In his defense, he was pretty reluctant, but he never truly explained the consequences.

"It's not like that, Elena. You won't do things just because Damon wants you to do them. A bond is similar to siring because it's a connection that can't be broken easily. You'll feel connected to Damon, and he will feel connected to you, but his emotions won't interfere in yours and vice versa," he clarified seeing how she was frowning and even looking a little bit scared.

"So, we'll just feel connected to one another, and it'll be hard to break this connection?"

"Yes,"

"What if there are feelings prior to the bonding?" she dared to ask. She wouldn't pretend she didn't know about Damon's feelings, but she just hoped Elijah didn't come to conclusions about her own feelings.

"Do you mean if he loves you or if you feel attracted to him?" Elijah chose his words carefully, not using random examples, but taking a guess at the real situation. He was a great observer, and while it didn't take him more than five minutes to know Damon was in love with Elena, he also realized the brunette was affected by the vampire.

"For example, yes," she tried to ignore his implication of the true nature of what they had. Although she felt more than attraction for Damon.

"The feelings will definitely be intensified," he said simply, and Elena only nodded, thinking about what that could mean for her and Damon.

"Did you ever?" she asked almost shyly.

"Bond to someone?"

"Yes," she said, hoping he would provide more information about the consequences.

"It's not something a vampire would usually want, Elena," he avoided her eyes while speaking, and purposefully avoided the real answer to her question.

"What do you mean?"

"Because it makes a vampire vulnerable. As you already know, emotions are magnified once you're a vampire. The connection is much stronger on our side. A bond can blind a vampire, because among other things the vampire won't think twice before risking his life to save his human. It also brings an amount of humanity that, depending on the vampire's age, he hasn't been used to dealing with for a long, long time. It's dangerous," he explained, clearly uncomfortable, but she stopped wondering if Elijah had ever bonded with a human or not. She was more concerned about the consequences of bonding with Damon. By what Elijah was saying, this could really lead him to the edge, and while she fell in love with him for who he was, she didn't like it when he was reckless. Not because of his decisions, although she hardly approved of any of them. She was concerned about him risking his life if he lost control, and that wasn't something she wanted to risk.

"I see," she simply said.

"If you think Damon is willing to do everything to save you, if you two establish a bond, he'll take greater lengths, he may stop thinking altogether before making certain decisions. It almost makes a vampire irrational, and the emotional part isn't easy. That's why you won't hear much about it. It can be dangerous for creatures that already have a difficult time handling their humanity," Elijah carefully explained all the consequences. Although Elena often struggled to understand Elijah's motives, he didn't have a problem reading her at all. He knew she wasn't concerned about her own feelings in a possible bond with Damon. She was concerned about what it could do to the vampire and she seemed to be very shocked about the sex part. And that was why Elijah wanted to give her as much information as possible. It was becoming more evident, after just one conversation, that something had changed on her side while he had been sleeping.

"About the Dark Zone… do you think I'll be safe?"

"You said Damon has a good relationship with Sage. One of the few things I trust the Salvatores to do is to protect you, Elena. He probably didn't elaborate much on the Dark Zone because he doesn't want to create images in your head or because he knows there's no possible way to prepare you for that, and I'm sure he'll do whatever it takes to prevent the bond from happening, especially in his case," Elijah offered his personal take on her situation with the raven-haired vampire.

"Why especially in his case?"

"Because I can only imagine how difficult it is for him to love you and know you'll never be his. If he creates a bond with you it'll become unbearable. He'll love you more than he already does, and while now he only wants you, he will _need_ you if you two create a bond. You'll be like a missing part of him, and you'll feel the same, but to much a lesser degree," he said slowly. He cared about Elena, not the way he cared about Tatia - or even Katherine back in the day, but he cared about her. He had always felt sorry for her being involved in something she didn't ask to be. Being a doppelganger brought more problems for her than dating a vampire could ever bring. And he also doubted whether either Stefan or Damon would have taken any interest on her if it wasn't for her resemblance to Katherine. He was positive both Salvatore brothers had concluded that her exterior appearance wasn't Elena's best asset anymore. She was much more than that, and he dared to say the brothers didn't see her as a dead ringer for Katherine anymore.

"You should probably go talk to him," Elena offered, clearly uncomfortable and confused by what Elijah had just said. Maybe she should stay, especially if Elijah was on their side. She knew he was someone she could trust. Although no one would ever be Damon, she couldn't let Damon be even more tortured by his feelings for her. It was a high price to pay, one she wasn't willing to let him pay. At least not until she figured her feelings and what she would do with them. As each day passed, she admitted more and more that she was in love with him. But nothing changed in the reality they were in. Acting on those feelings could lead to disastrous consequences that she would avoid with all her strength. The only problem was that avoiding those feelings was becoming harder and harder.

"It's nice to see you again, Elena," Elijah offered, leaving after she offered him a soft smile as an answer.

* * *

><p>"It took you long enough," Damon complained when he felt another presence in the room.<p>

"It seems like Elena doesn't really know much about what she's about to enter into," Elijah wasted no time giving his opinion.

"She knows enough," Damon turned around to look at the man at the doorframe.

"How exactly do you plan to leave the Dark Zone, especially with her?" Elijah took a seat, and watched Damon's clumsy movements – for a vampire, at least- as he wandered around the room with a glass of bourbon in hand.

"You don't need to show any concern about her wellbeing, Elijah. Between you and me, I'm not the one that betrayed her trust at the last minute and saved Klaus. This is something you share with Stefan, not with me," Damon offered with an unhappy and sarcastic smirk.

"And how could Stefan have killed Klaus?" the Original had to really hold back the laugher wondering what Stefan could have done to Klaus. Especially on animal blood diet.

"Long story short, we had Mikael, he had a special stake, my brother saved yours, your brother killed your father with it," Damon offered casually, as if he didn't just said that one person from the Original family had nearly died and the other actually did.

"Mikael is dead?" Elijah asked, feeling like he lost centuries instead of only a few months.

"Yes, can we move to the business part of the conversation? I would love to catch up and all, but I have places to go, people to see," Damon said impatiently.

"Sure," the older vampire offered a friendly smile.

"I want your brother dead, I released half of your family, and I'll gladly release the other half if you help us," Damon said, avoiding beating around the bush.

"I only have one more brother, Damon," Elijah corrected him.

"But there was another coffin, one that can't be opened, I was sure it was another Original member, otherwise, why would Klaus carry it with him?"

"I had three other brothers, who died before we turned," Elijah said, wondering if Klaus somehow kept Henrik's body, although they had buried him.

"I know, Barbie Klaus told us the sad story of your family," Damon showed no interest in wanting to know more about their family. He wanted to kill Klaus, and he was only interested in information that would help him with that.

"Barbie Klaus?" Elijah asked, confused.

"Rebekah?"

"Was she awake?" the Original asked. When he'd woken up, he had found two caskets by his side. Both were opened, and while Rebekah was in one, Kol was in another, both undaggered.

"And I'm sure she'll happily fill you in on everything that's happened since you took a nap. I think Sage may know a way to kill Klaus," Damon changed the subject.

"I don't think she does," Elijah pondered.

"She said to me once that she knew how to kill the Original who had Kol, although she didn't say back then it was Klaus," the younger vampire said, and it didn't surprise the Original. There was a respect between the Original family and the Dark Zone members. They knew they were both dangerous for one another, although like he just said, he didn't think Sage actually knew a way to kill an Original. Especially a hybrid.

"Then why didn't she ever try to kill Klaus ?"

"Probably because it meant she would never see Kol again. She'd rather for him to be sleeping, than dead," Damon said remembering the few times Sage actually talked about her situation with Kol.

"Sage is a powerful and vengeful vampire, Damon. If she knew how to kill Klaus, she would have done it," Elijah stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure she had her reasons not to. Also, just because she's among the founders, doesn't mean she can leave the Dark Zone whenever she pleases," he explained, and it didn't surprise Elijah.

"Which brings me to the obvious question here, how do you know where the Dark Zone is?"

"I lived there," Damon rolled his eyes. Was everyone going to ask him that question?

"Lived?" Elijah asked. Today was definitely full of surprises.

"For a good ten years," Damon offered nonchalantly.

"How?" Elijah asked, curious.

"I found the Dark Zone by chance. I had had to wait for an opportunity to release Katherine for more than a century, and I didn't enjoy being a vampire that much. I had never heard of the Dark Zone before, because I didn't meet a lot of vampires until much later. So I decided to explore the world, I was bored. Except for the thick woods surrounding the city, and the constant dark clouds, it's a city like any other, except it isn't on any maps," Damon explained, and the Original wasn't surprised. There were a lot of rumors of humans and vampires that, like Damon, found the Dark Zone by chance, but none of them escaped to tell the tale. It was still a mystery how those stories were spread, but they had been intimidating enough to prevent vampires from checking them.

"Is it really that easy to find?"

"Haven't you ever been there?" Damon asked, surprised, but thinking about it, it only made sense. Sage hated Klaus, and maybe she didn't know the rest of his family also hated him, except for Rebekah. According to Katherine, when she was still a human, it seemed like Klaus and Elijah were still on good terms.

"Why would I? I don't get into business that isn't mine, Damon," he answered cautiously, without saying much about his reasons.

"Anyway, been there, done that, and I was released with the condition of never saying a word about it, but as I'm about to break hell loose, what could a little more damage do?" Damon added sarcastically.

"Not that anyone really wants to go there," the Original said.

"Nope,"

"Are you sure about taking Elena with you, though?" he asked, showing some concern on his always serene and expressionless face.

"Sage will understand," Damon simply answered.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because that was why she let me leave," the Salvatore offered a cynical smirk.

"Because of the doppelganger?" Elijah asked, curious to know how much Sage knew about the curse.

"Because of the _first_ doppelganger. She knew I was in love with Katherine, she knew I was waiting for decades to pass until I could release her. She related to me. It seemed like she and your brother were the love story of the century. Although I think millennium is the best timeline here," Damon explained.

"And now that you're in love with the second doppelganger, do you think she'll feel the same sympathy?" Elijah offered a knowing smile.

"No, now I have released her lover, and I'm giving her a change to kill the person responsible for keeping them apart for over a thousand years," Damon groaned. He didn't like it when people said he was in love with Elena. Was it a fact? Yes, but one that started to bother him again, when he thought it wouldn't.

"It seems like a good deal, but what if she doesn't know a way to kill Klaus?" Elijah said after pondering about it for a moment. He still didn't understand why Elena had to go, but he left her under the impression she wasn't that willing to go anymore. And looking at Damon now, it didn't seem like it was part of his original plan either.

"Then it's retribution, and she'll have a chance to reunite with her man," Damon offered a tight smile.

"You're loyal, Damon Salvatore," the Original stated, as a fact.

"Can I say the same thing about you, Elijah? I didn't release you because I thought you could also have a chance at finding your lost love," Damon said angrily remembering the Originals betrayal when they tried to kill Klaus.

"I suppose you didn't. What exactly is my part in your plan?"

"To keep your brother busy. My brother can't be trusted these days. He's back to his 'ripper' persona, I'm sure you heard of it," Damon said, and Elijah only nodded in understanding, although he had no idea Stefan had become a ripper again.

"And why didn't you release Finn?"

"Leverage, obviously. I understand why you betrayed us last time, Klaus had your family, and I know family is what really matters for you. But now I'm the one who has it. I'm a man of my word. I don't have a reason to keep your brother daggered, and I don't know who or what is in the locked coffin, but I'll give you that one too," Damon said looking the other vampire at the eye.

"And my only part in your plan is to take care of Klaus until you're back with a way to kill him?"

"Yes, and not being in our way to kill him, like last time," he answered bitterly.

"What if Sage doesn't have a way to kill him?"

"Then, I suppose you, Rebekah and Kol will be more than willing to make him pay for his mistakes as long as he lives, making our lives a little easier. It's not like he can kill you. I think you and your siblings can think of interesting ways to make him sorry for the time he put you on hibernation mode," Damon offered a smirk.

"That's my brother you're talking about here, Damon," Elijah protested, but his voice wasn't too firm.

"The brother that daggered you and the rest of your family, and who, by the way, killed Mama Original," Damon quipped, and it got Elijah's attention.

"Excuse me?"

"You and Barbie Klaus have a lot of chit chat to do," he offered a fake smile, and just when Elijah was going to insist on asking questions, they heard Elena screaming. In a couple of seconds they entered Damon's bedroom.

Rebekah had already buried her fangs, and was taking her time draining Elena. Thankfully, Elijah had gotten there in time to prevent it from happening. He reached for his sister, and held her against a wall, while she fought back. Damon wasn't a match for Rebekah's strength, but her brother definitely was.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked reaching for Elena, while Elijah held his sister still.

"Did you release her?" she asked weakly, and he felt the guilt building up inside.

"We need her," he offered, and somehow his voice was weaker than Elena's. He was still mad at her. Actually, hurt covered his feelings better, but he could never be indifferent to Elena, especially if she was in pain like she was now.

"If you think I'll ever help the bitch who literally stabbed me on the back, you should reconsider your options here," the blond raged from the other side of the room, where her brother was fighting to keep her still.

"Add 'prevent your sister from killing Elena' to your part of the deal," Damon turned to Elijah while he carried Elena to his bed. She was weak, but at least she was conscious. It wasn't ideal for her to leave in that condition, and maybe he would finally agree with staying in Mystic Falls.

But Rebekah had a small edge on her brother that Damon failed to realize. Even if only for a few months, Elijah spent more time daggered than she did, and she was slightly stronger.

"You won't hold me the rest of her life, Elijah," Rebekah said, releasing herself from her brother's grip and speeding away from the house.

"I'll take care of her," he assured Damon, before also leaving.

"Damon…" Elena said, and he knew what he had coming. He could sense it in her voice.

"You're not going anymore, are you?" he asked her, and when she avoided his eyes, he had his answer, although he was completely wrong about her reasons.

"It's not simple as you said,"

"Of course not, I'm going to take you to Stefan's bedroom. He's not here, but I'm sure he'll be back soon," he offered sweetly. How could he punish her for loving his brother? How could that be fair _to her?_

"Please, don't leave, don't move, I want to stay here, in your bedroom," she pleaded, reaching for his hand, and squeezing it more than she should, given her lack of strength after being bitten by a vampire.

"I'll let you know once he comes back," he offered, moving her to a more comfortable position in his bed.

"I can't do that to you," she said, but he couldn't fully understand what she meant.

"Do what, Elena?" he asked honestly confused about her words.

"Create a bond between us," she said while she rested against the pillows he moved behind her.

"I've never planned on creating a bond between us because even if you agreed in sharing bond, I knew the sex part was a great no-no, and now it's even less necessary," he said quietly. While he was touched by her words, and felt even comforted by them, it was still hard for him to accept that she would never be his. The more she showed affection for him, the harder it became for him not to feel even more in love with her.

"Why?"

"Because now you already have the vampire bite you need," he pointed to the wounds on her neck, "But that was as much as I would do with you, to leave a visible bite mark. I wasn't planning on having sex with you, let alone create a bond," he completed, and once again he wondered why Katherine risked herself creating a bond with him. When Sage first explained how a bond was created and the consequences, he was sure Katherine did it out of love. But he now knew she never loved anyone but herself, and maybe is little brother. So why create a bond with him anyway? Why risking being vulnerable? But then again, the first doppelganger spent so long feeling nothing that a bond couldn't amplify what never existed at all. She was that cold hearted.

"But what if they somehow try to test our connection? I would never allow it to happen, for obvious reasons, but also because I don't want you to hurt, Damon, I know how you feel" she interjected. She wouldn't risk his life and there was no way they would have sex, but she wouldn't say it bluntly to his face. She didn't want him to hurt emotionally or physically. Actually, she was convinced he had already been hurt for several lifetimes.

"I don't need a bond to feel that way about you, Elena. You'd be fine," he said seriously, offering a sweet smile.

"How can you stand it?" she asked quietly.

"Stand what?"

"Loving me this much? It must consume you…" she looked at him, with a mix of admiration, affection, and compassion.

"It does, but the bright side of it makes up for it," he admitted, and she was actually surprised by him being so clear about his feelings.

"How?"

"Because it's like blood to me, Elena. You're what I want most in the world. You're my torture, you're the root of my anguish, and my daily fight, but you're also what cures me," he confessed, and if he had to blame anything for being so sappy, and saying things he wasn't supposed to say to his brother's girl, he would blame the alcohol.

"Damon…"she said, almost being brought to tears.

"It's okay, Elena. As I said, it's a cure," he offered a small smile, devoid of any hint of sarcasm, arrogance, or wit, as his usual smirks.

"I'm sorry," she offered honestly, and with that the first tear finally rolled her face.

"Don't be, it's not your fault," he wiped it away gently.

"I wish I could put into words what I feel for you. It's complicated to explain, but I deeply care about you, Damon," she offered with her doe eyes filled with the emotion she was admitting to having.

"That's enough for me," he said kissing her forehead. "You'll be safer now that Elijah will help Stefan and the gang to protect you while I'm away,"

"No, Damon. I won't stay. I'll go with you. As you said, I already have the bite mark. We'll get some sleep and prepare for the day ahead of us," she protested determinedly.

"Elena…"

"I need you, okay? I know it's not fair to keep asking this of you, but do it for me," she said, and he only nodded.

"Thank you, Damon. Good night," she said before kissing his cheek, and sliding down under the covers, looking for the sleep she knew wouldn't come.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And here starts progress. As we saw in 3x14, Damon is already ready to admit his feelings for her out loud - I'll ignore her action to when he admitted them. So I didn't think it was a stretch for him to say those last words about what his feelings for her cause him. Also he's really drunk here.<em>

_But I'd say the biggest progress in on Elena's side. She acknowledged his feelings, and she apologized for making him hurt, and for somewhat taking advantage of him knowing of his feelings. _

_My beta **Amanda, **who I want to thank for this chapter, especially because of when she did it for me, remembered me that Vicky and Damon shared blood - which I didn't remember because back then I didn't watch TVD yet. I could simply add here to ignore that fact, but I prefer to add sex in the mix. Sex was somehow always linked to the bond I had in mind, I didn't plan to make it essential before, just consequential. But who cares about the adjective it, right?_

_The Dark Zone isn't coming yet. It'll be in chapter 12 and I can't wait. And yeah, Damon and Elena are going all by themselves. No extra passengers. That has always been the plan._

_Thanks a lot for the reviews, and I hope to have a few more :)_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	11. X

.

**X**

* * *

><p>He couldn't describe how he spent the last few hours of that night. It had been a constant conflict in his mind, and sleep never came. Her words were still resonating in his head.<p>

"_I don't want to hurt you, Stefan." _

"_Even after all the pain I brought you? Even when I purposefully and coldly tried to break you?" _

"_Pain doesn't erase love." _

At that point Damon had already decided to leave the house; he couldn't stand to hear their love confessions anymore. He had just released the Originals, and he only wanted to hide the daggers before any of them came to meet him. He left a note to Elijah, and another to Rebekah, as he had expected Kol to wake up much later for the time he had been sleeping. He thought he could avoid hearing them, expecting them to be in Stefan's bedroom, not the den. But still on his way out, the daggers still with him because he couldn't think while hearing their voices, he had been able to hear a couple of lines, and Elena's words crushed his heart.

"_It should, what good can you get from loving me?" _

"_Like I said, we can't help our feelings."_

Those words brought a sacramental pain to his chest, and it didn't stop. She was now sleeping only a few inches from him, and looking at her he couldn't stop himself from tugging a small strand of hair behind her ear.

"I thought I could win you fair and square. I thought there was something between us. How could I forget that it'll always be Stefan? No matter what he does, no matter what I do, you'll never choose me," he whispered, completely resigned by his belief.

But he was too drunk and too lost in his pain, to realize that Elena's breaths never evened out, and she was completely awake under her closed eyelids.

She honestly hoped that his 'moment of the heart' would finish with that because she wouldn't be able to control her heartbeat much longer if he said another word. That was why he had been so rude to her earlier. No matter how much she wanted to avoid hurting him that was what she did. That was what she had been doing for a long time, and the pain and the guilt she felt inside almost led her to cry, and break her cover. But how had he jumped to that conclusion? What could make him feel that no matter what he did he would never have a chance with her? Why was he so resigned, and so hurt?

"But as you said, we can't help our feelings," he added, before kissing her cheek lightly, and leaving the room.

And then she knew it. He heard her conversation with Stefan. But if that was the case, why would he feel that way? Didn't she make herself clear that she was in love with him and not his younger brother? If anything he should be more confident than ever, but that wasn't how he felt at all. And that just proved her point that telling him at that moment about her developing feelings wasn't a good idea. She wanted nothing more than to correct him. But what good would it bring to his already tortured soul? Telling him that she had been in love with him for a while, but still she couldn't act on her feelings because she had already broken him. Exactly what she had been trying to avoid. All her effort seemed to be in vain. Even if she didn't do anything to break the brothers apart from each other, she ended up breaking the two of them just like Katherine did. She really loved and cared about those brothers too much to feel comforted by the fact that at least they wouldn't hate each other because of her. How could it comfort her when she knew she had broken their hearts? Her conscience could be clear because she didn't throw them against each other, but the weight of seeing them both hurting because of her crashed everything in her that hadn't been crashed yet. Feeling tired and exhausted from not only that fact, but from everything that happened to her in the past five months, she simply broke down and cried. Not only cried, but sobbed.

She could feel her whole body shaking, and the pain she felt seemed to consume her bones. It was something she couldn't control or stop. She felt like she was being tossed around and around by an ocean of pain. It was difficult to open her eyes, it was difficult to breathe, it was difficult to simply exist in that moment. A moment when most of her family members were dead and buried. A moment when many of her friend's family members were also dead and buried. A moment when Stefan was a ripper, with no humanity left. A moment when she was a human blood bag to an evil hybrid. A moment when she broke the heart of the two people she loved the most. But just like she felt her body being disintegrated by the pain, she felt the comfort of barely warm arms embracing her.

"What happened?" his soft voice asked, but she wasn't strong enough to formulate words. Or anything else. The comfort he brought eased the pain, but it was still too unbearable for her to do anything but sob.

"Shhh, I'm here. What happened, Elena?" he insisted, but the only thing she managed to do was bring her face to his chest, burying it there while her tears soaked his cotton shirt.

"Everything will be okay. I didn't have time to share my plan with you, but I'm convinced Sage knows a way to kill Klaus. She'll help us, I know she will," he said, trying to make her stop crying. Maybe she had a nightmare? He was positive that when he went to the den to continue his drinking saga, she had been sleeping. He hadn't stayed there for even ten minutes, and he was barely on his third glass when he heard her sobs. But Elena wasn't the kind of girl who cried because of nightmares. He had always admired her for her strength, and he knew no nightmare could top some moments of her real life.

Not knowing exactly what to do, he mixed details of his plans with soothing words. He even talked about Stefan, but for some reason when he mentioned his brother, her sobs intensified instead of dimming. So maybe it was related to his young brother after all. But he was positive Stefan wasn't in the house. Since he came back from the bar the only people there had been him and Elena, except for Elijah and Rebekah's brief visit. Maybe Stefan rejected her? He knew his brother was just fine. As much as Elena still loved and wanted to be with Stefan, his brother's guilt wouldn't allow him to be with the woman he loved. That must have been what happened, and suddenly he felt sadder than before, and really sorry for the two people he cared about the most in the world. His own pain for not having the girl had had been in love for long, had been forgotten when he thought about his brother's and hers.

"I've been doing some thinking and I don't think it's a good idea for you to be there with me, Elena. The Dark Zone isn't somewhere pleasant," he suggested, and much to his surprise those words finally prompted an answer from her.

She was able to speak her first word in the past twenty minutes, but barely. "No!" she whimpered, her voice was weak, but she was sure only a vampire like Damon could have made out what she said.

"The Dark Zone is not a place you would like to see with your own eyes, it's not a place I would want you to see. You shouldn't go," he insisted while he stroked her hair. Her crying had been so intense that his shirt was completely soaked, and the ends of her hair that touched it, also felt wet.

She didn't find a way to speak again, so she only shook her head against his body.

"Please, talk to me, Elena," his voice was much more vulnerable and soft than she had ever heard before.

"So- rry," she managed the utter.

"For what?" he asked kissing the top of her head, trying to comfort her about something he had no idea about. But once again the only response he got was the feeling of her head shaking negatively against his soaked chest.

"I'm not good with this, Elena. I don't know what to do to make you feel better, to make you stop…," he gulped before continuing, "crying."

"It hurts, Damon, it hurts so much," she spoke between sobs and sniffles.

"Where?" he asked confused. Was it physical pain? How couldn't he think of it before? Now that the adrenaline of what happened when Rebekah bit her decreased, she was probably in terrible physical pain. But he had thought it had only been the bite. While it hurt a lot at the moment, and it bothered for a while, it wasn't supposed to hurt now more than it hurt when she was bit.

"Everywhere," she muttered, and for a moment he thought about finding his brother. He had no idea where Stefan was, but the blonde vampire was certainly better at handling this than he was.

"Did she hurt you?" he asked trying to assess if there was any injury he could sense. He knew it was a bad idea releasing Rebekah. But when he saw that the other coffin had yet another male, he thought that Barbie Klaus would be easier to handle. Not simply because she was a girl and the other was a guy. He could always try to charm the feisty vampire, and that definitely wouldn't work on a man. His previous attempt with her didn't end up well because she realized he was up to something, but he wondered how needy she was these days. Elijah had been the obvious choice, even if he wasn't sure at the time the oldest original would be on their side, but as he half-expected, the Original was against Klaus. And then there was Kol. For what Sage shared with him – which wasn't much – Kol was a lot like Klaus. That was the reason why they fought so much. They were both made out of the same material. They were hot tempered, impatient, reckless, and didn't think twice before being violent. It seemed like the Originals had a little bit in common with himself.

But at least Kol wouldn't have a reason to try to kill Elena like Rebekah did. Maybe the Original vampire had hurt her in a way neither him or Elijah noticed when they had entered his bedroom earlier. He should have disagreed with Elena about her going with him. If she wasn't going to go with him he could have given her his blood instead of waiting for her to rest it away. She was probably feeling weak, and crying like that was definitely consuming the little energy she still had in her fragile body and leading her to dehydration.

Elena didn't answer his question with words again, but he felt her grip on his shirt intensifying and he understood the message just fine.

"I won't leave, I promised you that, remember?" he reassured her, and felt the grip on his t-shirt loosening slowly.

* * *

><p>It took her another thirty minutes, but she finally calmed herself. Damon, although deeply uncomfortable, didn't leave her side. He tried to hear his brother arriving at the house, but there was no noise. Stefan was probably gone for the night as it was already three in the morning.<p>

"Thank you," she muttered quietly, and felt once again his lips on her head.

"What happened?" he asked as gently as he could.

"I—I…" she started, but she didn't know what to say. What was there to say? He knew how she felt about him, and as she predicted the fact that she wasn't ready for him, hurt him. What good would bring to him if she reassured her feelings for him? Wouldn't it open the wound even more? But it wasn't fair for him to hear it when she said it to his brother, and not him. Stefan didn't let her explain the real reasons why she wouldn't confess her feelings directly to Damon. And although she agreed that he didn't need to know it, the raven-haired brother should. She wanted to explain things carefully and slowly until he understood that she couldn't be with anyone at that point. She was too lost, too damaged, too scary to do any good to him. Would he give her a chance to tell him that?

"You heard my conversation with Stefan, didn't you?" she asked, and she felt his body stiffening under hers.

"I didn't plan to do it. I came home earlier because I wanted to hide the daggers before the Originals started to wake up, I didn't mean to intrude or eavesdrop," he answered defensively. Of all things she could say, that was the last he wanted her to talk about. But what was the relation between her breakdown and his knowledge of her feelings for his brother? Or was she just deflecting like he did all the time so expertly?

"I'm not mad because you heard it, I'm just disappointed that you didn't hear it from me," she offered, while she fought her will to touch him. She knew he was hurt; she could catch the deflection in his eyes, and even in his words. She wanted to comfort him, to ease his pain. The pain she yet again caused. But she couldn't think about his pain now or she would start crying all over again.

"I heard it from you," he offered one of his trademark smirks, filled with sarcasm and wit, but maybe because of the alcohol, he didn't cover the hurt in his eyes as he usually did, and she could see it.

"But while I was talking to him, I wanted to have that conversation with you," she said, and this time her hand even moved from its resting position between their bodies, but she couldn't bring it to the destination her heart wanted it to be.

"I'm thankful you didn't. I know what I need to know, no need to flog the proverbial dead horse," he deflected, avoiding looking at her eyes.

"I wish I was ready to be in a relationship, but I'm not. I'm a mess, I'm damaged. Everything hurts, I lost almost all my family, and the only one who didn't die had to be sent away from me. I saw my friend's families being killed, and I saw their pain. I hurt Stefan, I hurt you, I feel toxic," she confessed, and although she didn't have the strength to cry as hard as she did a few minutes ago, she still let tears run down her face quietly.

"Elena… I'm not good with the BFF talking, except if it involves a lot of alcohol, and little emotional confessions, but you're everything but toxic," he said quietly, looking visibly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, but at the same time determined to reassure her of how special she was.

"Damon…" she pleaded, begging for him to hear her out.

"Elena…" his voice seemed even more vulnerable than hers, and she knew she shouldn't keep hurting him.

"When do we leave?" she changed the subject and put a little more distance between their bodies.

"As I said, I don't think you should go," he answered back, feeling much less vulnerable, but still very uncomfortable because now that he thought about it, he didn't want to go with him at all.

"That's not a possibility, I am going" she stubbornly stated, leaving no room for him to disagree. He knew unless he did it behind her back, she would leave with him in a couple of hours. Should he try to act behind her back? He wondered what the impact the Dark Zone could have on her. He knew the impact it brought on him. But then he saw the bite mark on her neck, and thought about leaving her far from his watch. He was convinced Elijah and Klaus, even if they were in opposite teams, would do their best to protect her, for completely different reasons. But could he be at peace not knowing for sure she was okay?

"By five," he answered, not only answering her question, but his own too.

"I don't think I'll get any sleep in less than two hours, I might as well look for something to do," she said standing up from the bed.

"You don't have the slightest idea of what the Dark Zone is… I don't need you to go; I already have the leverage that will make Sage help us," he insisted while she checked his pile of books at the corner of his bedroom. He should stop being selfish with her.

"But I don't want to stay here… alone," she said quietly, as she took his original first edition of Gone With the Wind.

"Stefan will be here, and Elijah is on our side. You won't be alone, I wouldn't leave if I wasn't sure you wouldn't be protected and safe," he tried to reassure himself more than he tried to reassure her, but she didn't need to know it.

"Damon, I'm going. And don't even think about leaving without me," she offered determinedly, and he'd have her determination any day over her vulnerability.

"Alright, I'm going to get some sleep, long drive ahead of us," he said with a tight smile.

"I'll be in the den," she said leaving the room.

He wanted to ask her to stay in his bedroom because he couldn't bring himself to have some deserved and needed rest if she was just some yards away from him. What if Rebekah came back? He had to be alert to hear anything suspicious. But then he realized he wouldn't sleep either way, and with her away from him he could focus on protecting her, instead of trying to forget her words to his brother.

* * *

><p>Five in the morning arrived soon enough and when Damon entered the room he found a sleeping Elena in one of the armchairs, the book resting against her chest. She looked peaceful, nothing like the broken girl that was crying in his arms just a few hours before.<p>

He took his time to admire her beauty for a moment and boy did she look beautiful. Despite being bit by a vampire, despite crying her eyes out, despite having almost no sleep at all, she still looked breathtaking.

He saw her oversized purse resting in another armchair, and hanging the considerable heavy bag on his shoulder, he moved to take Elena in his arms. He wouldn't wake her up when she need the relaxation so much. He had already made some serum to help hydrate her fragile and tired body, and as soon as she woke up he would give it to her. His duffel bag was already in the trunk of his car, along with the cooler where he kept blood bags, soda and water. He even had the trouble of creating a separate compartment in the big box to accommodate her things separately from his blood. He knew she wouldn't have liked it any other way and maybe on their way to Louisiana they could buy another cooler and move her things there.

"Are you sure about this?" Damon heard his brother's voice, once he closed his car's passenger door as quietly as possible, careful not to wake Elena up, who was already resting against the seat.

"I won't let anyone or anything harm your girlfriend, Stef, you don't need to worry. But you know Elena, she won't take a 'no' for answer, once she sets her mind to something, nobody can convince her otherwise, and she wanted to go. She's safe, although I think she'll regret her decision," he said to his brother, taking a brief look at the girl sleeping in his car. The Dark Zone wasn't something easy for a vampire like him to see, he could only imagine for someone as sensitive as Elena.

"She's not my girlfriend anymore," Stefan offered quietly.

"We both know it's only temporary," he flashed a 250 kilowatt smirk on his brother, before walking to his side of the car.

"You should have worked harder to convince her to stay," Stefan offered, sounding clearly angry at his brother, but also wanting to avoid having this conversation with Stefan. It seemed like Elena didn't talk about her feelings to his brother yet. That was why he kept his distance from the house. He didn't want to be around in case she couldn't keep her resolve of keeping her feelings for Damon to herself.

"Why didn't you? I'm not the one who had midnight chats with her," Damon quipped irritated. It was typical Stefan to blame everyone else but himself.

"She will never be the same if what I heard about the Dark Zone is true," Stefan stated, absolutely sure of what he was saying.

"You haven't heard half of the brutality of that place," Damon muttered under his breath, thinking of what he saw there. It took him a few years to erase those memories from his head, and he was never comfortable when they came back, like now.

"And still you're willingly taking her there," the younger Salvatore laughed humorless.

"Didn't you hear the part where I said I couldn't convince her otherwise?" Damon answered, already bothered by the tone and words his brother was using.

"You could have left her behind; it's not the first time you would have done it," the blond quipped.

"And after that one time I promised her I would never leave her again, I'm a man of my word," Damon passed by Stefan, to open the driver's door, but his brother moved faster and positioned himself between his brother and his car.

"Your word shouldn't be more important than the trauma you're going to bring to her. She's only a girl, she may be eighteen, and she may have faced more death, gory, and horror than most people do in a lifetime, but she's still just a girl. And worse, she's someone who had been already hurt by life as it is. She should take a break from things, not be brought to hell on Earth," Stefan raised his voice tone, and nearly punched Damon's car, but thankfully for himself, he stopped before he did it.

"And you think I don't know any of that? I tried, but she insisted," Damon argued back, stepping away from his brother frustrated. He knew Stefan was right. He was feeling deeply guilty about bringing Elena with him. He didn't know why he had agreed with her in the first place when he went to her house the previous night. He went there to let her know he was leaving, but when she looked at him with those doe eyes, pleading him to do as she said, he couldn't help himself. But after he thought over it, distant from those powerful eyes, he knew it was a terrible idea to take her with him.

"Did you try hard enough? Did you describe to her what she'll see when she arrives there? Did you explain how this vampire community works? Did you explain what humans are for those vampires? Did you explain how there have been humans there for nine centuries?" Stefan raised his voice louder and louder.

"Would you? Would you have this conversation with her?" Damon challenged, and he knew what the answer would be. That would be a hard conversation to have, and they both knew it wouldn't convince Elena to give up on going. It would prolong her uneasiness about the dark place they were headed. She didn't need a picture of it until she really had to see it with her own eyes.

"For someone who claims to love her so much, you're not thinking too much about her well being or interests. You know better than her about this," Stefan said enraged.

"For someone who respects my wishes, I think he's doing just fine, Stefan," the girl said from inside the car, her voice echoing from Damon's opened window. It was hard to say who was more uncomfortable because of Stefan's words about Damon's feelings. Elena didn't feel uncomfortable per say, just sad that he loved her that much, but couldn't be with her. Damon on the other hand, was just plain uneasy for having his brother say those words so bluntly while she was hearing them.

"You have no idea what that place is, Elena. You'll never be able to forget what you're going to see there," Stefan said sounding almost like the boy she was used to all those months ago.

"There are so many things I'll never be able to forget, Stefan, maybe not because of their brutality, but because of the pain they caused me. I can handle myself just fine," she said trying to be as gentle as possible, but also bold enough to show him she was keeping her position.

"He may have a point here, Elena," the raven-haired vampire offered dejectedly. He didn't need his brother to tell her the things that had been in his mind since she decided to go with him.

"Damon, we already had this conversation, I am going, and if you don't want Klaus to be suspicious, I'd advise you to enter the car and leave," she said crossing her arms against her chest.

"You heard Ms. Bossy, now if you excuse me, little brother," Damon said, entering the car, waving bye to his brother before he took off.

"You will damage her forever, Damon," Stefan said quietly, loud enough for only his brother to hear through the sound of his Camaro's engine.

"I know," Damon answered just as low.

* * *

><p><em>AN. First of all. Stefan is annoying when he wants, and he's been a lot of that lately. I'm just keeping him in character, but that's the last we'll hear from him in at least five chapters (probably more).<em>

_Elena finally broke. I think that's one of the flaws in the show. The girl is only _human_, no one can take the amount of loss she has seen and had the last few months and just never break down. I don't think she needs to stop her life, or cry for days. But I think a breakdown makes it more believable. And here it is._

_I know some of you are satisfied with her progress, and some are not. I can barely call it progress... but I can't make a one-eight turnaround with her, and believe me, I really dislike show!Elena these days, even though I know she's in a bad place. She's all sensitive and careful around Stefan and treats Damon like sh!t. She takes him for granted and I want to strangle her. So please guys, cope me and with her. I know your pain too well._

_Thanks a lot for the reviews. You make me so happy. Don't be shy and leave me some words._

_Thanks A LOT to _**_Daniela_**_, my beta for this chapter._

_Have a nice week, everyone. TVD is back in four days!_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	12. XI

.

**XI**

* * *

><p>"You can go back to sleep," he said, nearly ten minutes after they had left the Boarding house.<p>

"I don't feel like sleeping. Where's the book I've been reading?" she asked reaching for her purse that was resting by her feet.

"Glove compartment," he said, and she thanked him before taking it and opening the book up to the page she marked. It must have been him who put a book marker where she had stopped because she didn't even have one last night.

After an hour of trying to read she finally gave up on the book. Partially because she was getting car motion sickness, but also because she couldn't concentrate.

"How many hours until we get there?" she asked curiously, seeing as how it had been only sixty-eight minutes since they left the boarding house. And yes, she was counting.

"Nineteen without the stops, but we'll sleep somewhere tonight and continue tomorrow morning," he shrugged, and she only nodded.

It meant there were many hours ahead of them. Many hours of uneasiness and awkwardness. She wasn't sure she could make it.

"Do you want to turn on the radio?" he asked, when he realized she had discarded her book. He hadn't turned it on already because he thought it would disturb her reading, though she seemed to read in a very slow pace, as she had read only nine pages within an hour. Elena wasn't the only one counting the time.

"Of course," she smiled, reaching for the car's radio.

"I didn't want to change the sound system on this baby and get a modern one, so if you want to listen CDs, my iPod is in the glove compartment," he offered.

"The radio is fine, thanks," she said as she searched for a good song.

She settled with a rock station, and except for the music echoing in the old Camaro, there was a disturbing silence between them.

It wasn't like she was complaining about the silence itself. She had been in silence with Damon many times, but it's been a long time since things had been this heavy and uncomfortable between them. Last time had been after he snapped her brother's neck and she avoided him. But they were friends now. There wasn't any bad air between them anymore. There wasn't anything wrong between them… except for their feelings.

The more she thought about the conversation he heard, the more she was convinced he should hear it when was talking to him, instead of to his brother. Even Stefan thought so, and after forty minutes or so, she decided she'd rather have yet another awkward conversation with him than stay in this torturing silence.

"No more rock 'n roll?" he smirked, once she turned off the radio.

"I want to talk," she said, and he knew by her tone that she didn't want to comment on the scenery or the weather.

"So talk," he offered nonchalantly, but deep inside he was dreading to hear what she had to say.

"First of all, I do think you should hear from me what I feel," she breathed out. That part was easy. Everything after it was the complicated part.

"As I already said, I heard it from you, Elena," his grip on the wheel increased.

"And you know I meant to say it to you, not for you to eavesdrop on my conversation with Stefan. That conversation was mainly about him and me. I want to talk to you about you and me," she said softly, and the moment she used the pronouns to link their names together he felt his heart skipping a beat or two. But he also remembered it was a lie.

"There's no you and me, Elena," he stated simply, keeping any emotion, good or bad, away from his tone.

"No, there isn't, but it doesn't mean that aren't things that create a circumstantial you and me," she wanted to say there wasn't a 'you and me' yet, but that she hoped there would be at some point. But she needed to tell him her feelings before she made plans about the future.

"I'm not my broody brother, Elena. I don't discuss relationships, not real ones, let alone circumstantial ones," he complained, and she could sense he was genuinely getting annoyed by where the conversation they had barely started was going.

"We don't need to discuss anything, you just need hear me out, to know my reasons for wanting to be alone for now," she said firmly. She knew if she showed any uncertainty or fear of saying what she needed he would shut her out before she had a chance to say another word.

"And what does your temporary relationship status with my brother have anything to do with me?" he asked sarcastically. That topic was still two raw in his heart. Most of the time he had been in love with her, he had also been hopeless. Only recently he really thought they actually had a chance. But even the possibility of a possibility had been taken from him the previous night.

"That's exactly why we need to talk, you heard where I stand with Stefan, and partially where I stand with you, but for obvious reasons I didn't discuss deeply with Stefan where you and I are," she protested, although she knew Damon well enough to know behind the sarcasm and anger he showed, there was also pain and sorrow.

"I guess he knows just fine we're in my car, traveling to some place known as the Dark Zone," he quipped, trying to keep his walls as high as possible, but it was too late. Elena wasn't going to back off.

"Metaphorically! God you're insufferable," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the one pushing to have a conversation here," he added innocently, happy to know he was riling her up just as he planned to do. He just wanted her to shut up or to talk about the weather.

"So you'd rather spend the next twelve hours in an awkward silence rather than just clean things up and be in a comfortable silence?" she asked, sounding annoyed at this point.

"Somehow I don't think there will be anything comfortable for me once you're done talking," he admitted, and she was actually surprised he didn't offer another sarcastic answer.

"I can't stand to stay like this, and like I said, I want you to hear it from me," she offered, her voice much softer now. She didn't want to hurt him more, but she needed to clear the air between the two of them.

"I don't even know why I insist getting into arguments with you. In my almost two centuries of my undead life I've never met someone as stubborn as you. You don't take no for an answer, Elena Gilbert," he said partially annoyed by her insistence, but also partially amused by it. It was one of her trademark features, and although most of the time he thought it was a flaw, sometimes he thought it was a beautiful compliment. She fought for her beliefs, for her ideas, for her friends, no matter what the world threw at her.

"Usually I don't, but in cases like this, I never do," she confirmed his words, feeling almost cocky as the vampire by her side.

"So go ahead and confess your undying love," he mocked.

"I wouldn't qualify it as undying love," she said defensively, almost hurt by his mocking tone.

"What is it then? Epic romance? Irrevocably soul connection?" he carried on with his tone, which not only hurt her, but also angered her.

"You know what? I should just shut up," she said, losing the thread of patience she still had. Sometimes talking with Damon was more complicated than any mission when they went against werewolves, hybrids, vampires and powerful witches.

"No objections," he offered a victorious smirk, and she knew that had been his plan all along. If he couldn't convince her to change her mind, he would annoy her to the point she couldn't keep talking. But she wasn't going to allow him to win that easily. If he wanted to play, she was going to use her best moves.

"But then where would be the fun in that, right?" she stole his sarcasm for once, and she had to admit it, it felt good.

"Yes, exactly," he said through tight lips. She learned too damn well to catch him when he was playing her.

"Would you stop the car? I'm hungry and you said we would stop later for me to have breakfast," she offered, wanting to have that conversation looking in this eyes.

"Do you see any diners around here?" he asked, but didn't give her time to answer, "Exactly,"

"So simply stop the car," she asked sweetly, she wouldn't demand anything when she knew he wasn't willing to keep their conversation going at all.

"Really, Elena? This heart to heart or pep talk or whatever you have in mind can't be done while I drive?" he rolled his eyes. He didn't want to stop the car, he didn't want to lose the one thing that was distracting him when she looked and smelled so good by his side. He had forgotten how tempting and torturing it was to travel with her by his side. There had been rain some miles ago and they had closed the car windows and her scent was intoxicating, and it just tortured him because he knew he couldn't have her.

"No, I don't want you distracted by anything else when I tell you this," she said, and he thought for a moment if she had developed any supernatural powers and read his mind.

"It takes more than a road or a few words to distract me. I rock multitasking," he deflected, but he knew it wasn't good enough to change her mind.

"Damon, please," she pleaded, and he was mad because she did it. She knew it worked, and he hated himself for not being able to say no when she pleaded.

"Someday you'll plead and I won't say yes," he said pulling the car over.

"I'm just happy this day isn't today," she offered honestly, with a big smile. Her smile brought one to his face. He loved it when her lips curled up and it reached her eyes just like now.

"So what now, Dr. Phill?" he asked turning to look at her.

"Do you think we could go outside?" she asked.

"Why not? Maybe if there's any supernatural creature, like a hybrid, an original or just same good 'n old vampire following us, they could also join you in our heart to heart moment," he offered playfully, but they both knew it was a possibility. They tried to take all precautions from getting Klaus suspicious about their departure, but with the hybrid they were usually a step behind.

"Where was my head when I agreed to spend prolonged hours with you alone?" she shook her head negatively, before she stepped out of the car.

"In my bed," he wriggled his eyebrows at her while she rolled her eyes. But despite his jokes, he still hopped out of the car. The scenery around them was beautiful and peaceful, and while she hadn't planned for something so cliché like having this conversation under a beautiful tree, with the birds chirping around them, that was exactly what was happen as she headed towards the huge plant that would provide them some shade in the hot morning weather.

"I don't know when it happened, or maybe I do but I don't think it's relevant. As much as I fought these feelings I've had for the past few months, they are here and they won't go away, not matter how much I wanted them to," she admitted as soon as they sat under the beautiful tree. Damon sat by her side, to avoid looking at her as she spoke.

"We can't help our feelings; I already heard it," he mocked, but she did her best yoga breathing exercises to ignore his provocations, that way she could say everything she wanted to say.

"To be honest I don't even want to fight these feelings anymore. I don't have the emotional strength and to be honest, I want to act on them," she admitted weakly. She was shy because this was Damon, and she felt like an idiot. Suddenly all her confidence flew out the window. He had been with countless amounts of women. He was experienced, he had lived everything, and she was about to admit she wanted to, when the time felt right, to date him. She felt pathetic.

"No one is stopping you here," he continued, refusing to take her confession seriously, after all he still thought she was talking about her feelings for Stefan, and not for him.

"Love is such a common word. We use it every day. I love shopping, and I love ice cream. I love cold weather, and I love spending time with my girlfriends. I love my friends, and my family. I love Stefan…" she made a pause, maybe for dramatic effect or maybe because she needed to say it to him for the first time in a separate sentence.

"Understatement of the century," he said, but there wasn't any bitterness in his voice. He had already accepted defeat and he wasn't a bad loser. At least not when it involved his brother's happiness, but he would never admit that to anyone.

"And I love you, Damon," she said looking him in the eyes.

"We already covered that yesterday," he said trying to keep his composure unaffected by her words, but it was becoming harder and harder for him to do it.

"We didn't. Stefan and I did," she protested. Couldn't he understand that she wanted him to hear it from her, while looking at his eyes that she was in love with him? Why was it so hard for him to understand? She knew it hurt him that she couldn't act on her feelings until she fixed them herself, but shouldn't he at least be happy? Was she being too arrogant and presumptuous to think he would actually be happy to know she reciprocated part of his feelings?

" meant when you said you really care about me," he offered.

"I more than care about you, Damon," she said so determinedly, that it didn't leave space for any discussion.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Elena?" he asked quietly. He was trying to be careful. He didn't need her to run over and over his broken heart. He couldn't understand why it was so important for her to tell that she loved him, but that she was in love with brother, as usual.

"This is not easy, Damon and you're making it harder than it has to be," she said, and her voice cracked a little bit. The closer she got to really saying all words how she felt, the harder it became to say them, especially when he showed her feelings were unwelcomed.

"And what would make it easier?" he asked, and she knew he was being honest, and not a smart ass.

"If you just shut up and listened to me," she said almost without any softness.

"My lips are sealed," he made a cross with his fingers and kissed both sides of them.

"I've known about your feelings for me for a while, although I pretend most time not to have a clue about it. I saw how you loved Katherine, I saw it right in front of me and one of the few things that made me want to give you a chance when you were doing crazy things to release her from tomb was the intensity and the honesty in your love for her," she started, and she honestly didn't know why she was bringing Katherine of all people into this conversation. She wished she could be like him. Damon never beat around the bush. But she wanted to make sure she found the best words. She needed to change his mind about her feelings and her inability to be with him at the moment. She wanted him to be happy or at least hopeful about their relationship. Right now he seemed so resigned and defeated.

He opened his mouth to make a remark, but she raised her hand, "Sealed lips, remember?"

"It was touching – although it never justified some of your actions – to see which great lengths you were willing to take to bring her back, to love her. It was beautiful actually," she continued talking about Katherine, although she wanted nothing more than to never say the female vampire's name again. It remembered herself of how she had broken both brothers just like the first doppelganger did. It seemed like they were cursed to do it.

"And then you started self-destructing yourself when you found out she wasn't there, and I wanted to help you. I wanted to ease your pain somehow, and we got closer," she could see he was almost exploding from holding back his comments, but he wasn't interrupting her and for that she was thankful, though she still made pauses.

"And then my life was at stake, and I was part of this crazy plan. I don't know when you start developing feelings for me, but I know when I first saw it. It wasn't when you came to my bedroom drunk and confessed there was something between us. Back then there wasn't anything between us other than friendship. Maybe you were attracted to me because of Katherine, but I didn't think you were in love with me, even if you almost said so," she explained, and she actually saw him grimacing from remembering the day he nearly killed her brother for good. That had been the worst day of his entire existence.

"I started to see it with my eyes when you rescued me from Rose and Elijah. I thought it was only infatuation first. To be honest I even thought you were getting closer to me just to get back at your brother, out of revenge, a whim or plain bitterness," she said, and she knew her honesty probably hurt him, but she wanted him to understand where she was coming from. She didn't think of him like that for a long time.

"Thanks for thinking so highly of me," he said before she had a chance to stop him.

"I know better now, Damon. And I do think very highly of you. You're one of the most loyal, honest, faithful, dedicated, smart, trustworthy, strongest people I have ever met and while I didn't live for almost two centuries, it's still a compliment of the highest order," she said, and the smile he loved was once again stamped in her beautiful face. It made his heart summersault in his chest, but he wouldn't let it show.

But he was shocked by her words, not only because she was the one saying them, but because he wasn't used to anyone complementing him. It didn't happen too many times in the past two centuries, and it was still a foreign feeling to him, one he didn't know what to do with.

"But there's a side of you that you work so hard to hide, a side of you that is kept between the highest walls you put around your heart," she said, and while the smile was still on her lips, her eyes had grew sad, and he wondered why she felt like that.

"You're passionate, you're loving, you're caring, you're thoughtful, you're sensitive, you're tender and gentle, you're warm," she said and he was about to interrupt again, but this time she was quick enough to see it, and in a millisecond her fingers were resting against his lips.

"You're a honorable man, Damon, one that is so easy to love, one that is so rare to find, one that is so hard to resist," she said, and he thought he was going to explode from her words. For a short moment it didn't matter if she would always love his brother, if it would always be Stefan. She had a special appreciation for him, she more than cared about him, and that was more than he could ask for. That was more than he deserved. But still that was short of what he wanted, and while it elated him, it also hurt him.

"Where is this going, Elena? You're somehow killing me right now," he admitted against her fingers, his eyes closed, but she could see he was being honest and all the sarcasm and mockery was left aside.

"I'm saying that I couldn't resist," her voice was barely above a whisper and filled with affection.

"Resist what?"

"Loving you," she finally admitted, and for a moment he thought she was finally admitting what he dreamed in his most delusional dreams. But then reality came crashing his heart. They weren't delusional without a reason. They were so hurtful that some days they felt more like nightmares.

"As I said we already covered it, you love me, you love Bonnie, you love Matt, you love Alaric, actually you love pretty much everybody because you're a loving person, so I'm not even sure I should really take it as a compliment," he tried to cover his pain.

One could have thought he was being sarcastic again, but Elena knew better, he was trying to deflect. He had entered a dangerous zone that he didn't allow himself to enter very often, but he was exactly where she needed him to be when she confessed what she really wanted say but she was still looking for the right words to say it.

"It's quite the opposite, Damon," she said, and she wanted more than anything to touch him somehow, to show with her skin something that was so difficult to show with her words.

"How?"

"I love Stefan, while with you…" she started, but he soon proved she couldn't have chosen worse words, especially because he didn't let her finish the sentence.

"No need to say it so bluntly," he said, and for the first time he let all the pain and sadness show in his voice. She felt devastated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she tried to make him listen to the whole thing, but he wasn't going to have it.

"But that's how it is, and I'm okay with it, Elena. I'm not exactly okay, but I accept it. I won't try to steal my brother's girl. It's been exhausting and fruitless. I don't like to lose, and I never enter battles I know I can't win. But I had to try. Somewhere along the way I thought that someday you could love me the same way you loved him. I wasn't even expecting it to be the epic, endless, corny love you feel for him. Just some love to convince you to give us a shot, just a kind of love that didn't make me your BFF, but your lover. But I've come to terms with how things are between us. We already had this conversation, Elena. I may have been drunk, and I may have snapped your brother's neck, but you had been crystal clear then. It's Stefan and it's always going to be Stefan," he confessed, looking away, but she could swear there was a ghost of tears wetting his eyes. He didn't pretend not to be hurt, he didn't keep his walls up, he just painfully confessed how he felt.

"No, Damon, that's not it at all. Where did this come from?" she asked, confused by how he thought she was still choosing Stefan when she had been clear to his brother that she was choosing to heal herself to give her a chance to love him? It didn't make sense at all.

"From you, of course," he said humorlessly.

"Look at me," she pleaded, but he didn't move.

"Damon, please look at me," she demanded this time, and if he didn't do it, she was just one second away from moving his chin up to her. But when he looked at her, she didn't get a chance to talk.

"I think we should get back on the road. We've lost precious time, and to be quite honest, Elena, it hurts me. It hurts me to know that although you're attracted to me, although there's obvious chemistry between us, and although you're tempted to cave into some of you deepest desires you won't be mine. Not the way I want you to be, not the way I need you to be. It hurts me, and as we're having a moment of honesty here, I'll open my heart too. These conversations, they kill me more than wood ever could. They make reality insanely cruel. Remember when I said loving you heals me? When it's platonic, when I'm thinking about you at night, while I can't sleep, when your face is the last thing I remember before dripping into unconsciousness and when your smile is the first thing I see when I wake up, even if my eyes are closed. When I see you from afar, when you save me, when that smile is aimed at me. In times like these, loving you makes me a better person. But right now, when you're just within my reach, but in reality couldn't be more out of reach, it just shatters me. So can we never have these moments again? It's usually after them that I snap, that I become reckless and do stupid things. I'm tired of doing stupid things, Elena. I just want to be healed and be okay," he confessed exhausted and drained by all the emotions he had been through for the last few months, especially after his brother left with Klaus. As a human, Damon was never good at dealing with such emotionally charged moments. He didn't know how to deal with his emotions when they were something natural. But as a vampire that difficulty was magnified not only by the usual effect of turning into a vampire has over a person's personality, but because turning a vampire makes feeling all that harder and more complicated. He was honestly tired of making the same mistakes over and over again because he couldn't control his emotions.

"Damon," she protested.

"Elena, I'm begging you, if that's what you need me to do," and his eyes pleaded with her more than his words would ever do.

"Okay," she accepted, the look on his face now and a few minutes ago was something she never wanted to see again. She didn't like seeing him hurting so hard, especially because of her, and her alone.

"Thank you," he offered a small smile, "Now we should resume our journey," he said, but he didn't look at her as he stood up from his position and headed towards his car.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know this chapter was frustrating. But things are never easy when it involves three words together: Damon, feelings, talking. Elena doesn't know what to say, and of course, she says the wrong thing. That's because she's absolutely tentative around him, because she doesn't know how he'll react, what will hurt him and what won't. I even warned some of my reviewers when I answered their reviews that this chapter was going to be frustrating. Next part of their road trip involves sleep over, Aruba, attempt-to-talk-feelings-with-Damon-2 and well, Welcome to the Dark Zone. See you there, but do leave some reviews and I'll let you know a little bit more :P<em>

_Thanks a lot to **Daniela**, my beta to this chapter and to all my reviewers :)_

_xoxo_

_Babi_

_PS.: I was so surprised it seemed like the show really took the same route as me when it comes to Sage. She's over 900 years old, was involved with (and possibly turned by) an Original and I'm sure she'll play some role in their plans to kill Klaus. I thought about choosing her love interest to be Finn, but in the ball episode I thought Kol was much more interesting than his brother. So I don't have insider info, just a happy coincidence. If I had inside info I'd rather know if DE is having sex or not this season :P_


	13. XII

.

**XII**

* * *

><p>For the long hours he drove them to Louisiana, Elena's head didn't stop thinking for a moment. She kept replaying his words, trying to understand why he was reacting like that, but nothing made sense. He knew she broke up with his brother because she wanted to be with him instead, but still Damon thought she would be with Stefan at the end of the day. Maybe he was acting out of fear? Was he trying to protect himself from the future? It was the only reasonable explanation, but still it wasn't like Damon to behave like that. She had always been sure he would take a chance to be with her and do the best he could with it to prove to her she belonged with him. She never took him as a coward, but then she remembered the way he looked at her, and how she had seen him close to tears for the first time. She knew he was deeply hurt. And she knew he had a hard time dealing with emotions as it was, but when he was heartbroken, it was all that much harder.<p>

He had even admitted that he was trying to prevent himself from doing something stupid. He was trying to change, trying to get a grip of his emotions, and act rationally through his pain. And she could see how much he was struggling to accomplish that. Taking one more look at him, she knew what she had to do. She was torturing him with her solely presence and she didn't want to hurt him anymore. His pain was consuming her.

"I'm going back to Mystic Falls," she announced around three in the afternoon. They had stopped for her to have lunch only a couple of hours ago, and they were almost done crossing Georgia for all she could say.

"What do you mean?" he didn't look at her, something she realized he had done only a handful times since her pathetic and failed attempt of a conversation seven hours ago.

"We're not that far from Atlanta. Take me there and I'll buy a ticket back to Mystic Falls," she said avoiding looking at him at all costs.

"I'm not going to take a detour just to drop you in Atlanta, Elena," Damon said sounding really annoyed.

"Then find a city big enough on your way to drop me off. I want to go back," she asked, her voice defeated, while she barely held back her tears. She didn't have any idea of how painful it was to let him go, until she actually had to do it. He had been hoping against hope to have a chance with her for over a year, and he survived just fine, except for a few mishaps. But she had figured out her feelings just for a couple of weeks, and when she was faced with the fact that they couldn't be together, it crushed her heart in more pieces than she could mend. She couldn't last fifteen days, whereas he had to deal with it for months.

That was something she really had a hard time understanding. When she lost Stefan to Klaus, and later to himself, it had hurt, but still it couldn't compare to what she was feeling now. How was that possible? She had been with the younger vampire for almost a year; she had loved him like she had loved no one else before him. Although she knew she was too young to really know what love was, Stefan seemed to be everything love could ever be, no matter how old she was. When she thought she was going to die in the sacrifice, she confessed it to her boyfriend. She didn't know what love was back then and she had been completely right because what she felt for Damon now was something that completely overshadowed what she felt for his brother. And she only realized it when the pain of losing him – although she never really had Damon – consumed her.

"Okay," he agreed without questioning any of her reasons. He was actually relieved to hear this if he was honest with himself. Not only he could spare her from the Dark Zone, but he wouldn't have to deal with the riot of feelings that were nearly choking him.

"When and where will it be?" she voiced a few minutes later, and she had to make sure she wouldn't break down and cry, and make him feel even worse.

"Probably Nola," he said quietly.

"Nola as in New Orleans?" she asked shocked. She was slightly direction challenged, but she knew New Orleans couldn't be reach within the current day.

"Yep," he popped the answer.

"But that's probably a day away!" she protested.

"I took the more deserted route, it's easier to track if there's someone following us because the roads have no cars," he simply explained.

"Can't we go back to Savannah? I'm sure I can at least go to Richmond from there," she suggested, although she already knew the answer.

"I'm not going to come back to a place we left behind two hours ago. It's going to take me four additional hours to be back here," he said irritated.

"And why are you in such a rush? It's not like you scheduled an appointment with Sage!" she said annoyed, although her annoyance was fruit of her desperation, not of his plans.

"I gave you plenty of chances to stay at home, Elena. If you want to go back, fine with me, but you'll do it when it fits my plans," he answered, and she decided to let it go.

"Where are we headed now?"

"Florida, we'll probably spend the night in Pensacola,"

"Okay," she agreed and preferred to be quiet, as she had been for most of time since they entered his car, which was making it a lot easier for both of them.

And Damon couldn't agree with her more. He tried to keep his mind busy, but that wasn't exactly what was happening when he was driving himself in automatic pilot, not the car. At first he had to be alert and try to see if someone was following them. But doing a few detours, keeping his senses alert in the gas stops and when they stopped to eat, had been enough to prove to him they were indeed alone. He was alone in a car, with the girl he was in love with, but instead of a dream coming true, it was a never-ending nightmare.

Her smell was still intoxicating, and no matter how open the four windows were, he could still smell it. It seemed to be impregnated in his nostrils. It was the most powerful weapon of torture he could think of at the moment, and he hoped he wouldn't go crazy for the last few hours he had to share the car with her. Although he knew when they arrived at the bed and breakfast he planned to take them to, things could be even harder, but at least he could leave then.

* * *

><p>It was just a little after seven when they finally pulled over at the Blackwater River Bed and Breakfast's parking lot.<p>

"I'm positive no one is following us, but things are easier if I keep a closer eye on you," he offered as they approached the reception. Elena didn't know what exactly he was implying, but as soon as he spoke to the middle-age blonde behind the counter, she knew exactly what he meant with it.

"A room for two, please," he said to the receptionist, abolishing any cordial greeting or politeness.

"Good evening, welcome to our bed and breakfast. A bedroom for two, is that what you said?"

"The best you have," Damon added.

"Well aren't you just lucky. This is the most romantic place you could find," she winked at Elena, totally oblivious to the tension between the two people standing in front of her.

"Of course it is," Damon said under his breath, but it didn't seem like Elena or the cheerful woman heard him.

"Well, we have our Aruba room available for the next three days," she offered, and Damon quickly retorted.

"We are just spending the night," he said coolly, and Elena wondered if that was even a good idea.

"Oh," she said almost disappointedly.

"Do you know if I can take a bus to Richmond or anywhere in Virginia from here tonight?" Elena asked the woman while she was entering their information into her computer.

"You'll certainly find something. There's a guide here, most departures are listed as it was updated only four months ago, but you could always call the bus station and see if there are more options available," she said to Elena, and just then she realized that things didn't look good between the couple.

"Just to confirm, one or two beds?" she asked, sensing that she could be making their night all that harder.

"Two," Damon said.

"Oh, so I think the best option for you is our Orlando room," she offered a weak smile, while she changed the reservation in her system.

"All done, have a good night. Breakfast is served at seven-thirty and lunch at noon," she offered trying to offer the best smile she could, but even a stranger who spent only five minutes in their presence had been affected by the thick air surrounding Damon and Elena.

"Thank you," Elena acknowledged when Damon simply took the keys and the small map from the B&B that the receptionist also offered.

"If you're going to go back to Mystic Falls I should contact Caroline to meet you in New Orleans, so you won't go alone," as they started walking back to the car to take their luggage to the room. The main building held only the back office, the restaurant area, reception and all sort of administrative departments, while the bedrooms were distributed in two other buildings behind the main one.

"And now you care about me?" she said, although she knew it was unfair with him.

"Elena, please, don't start it again," he said tiredly, as he took the cooler, the bag with the two changes of clothes they bought for her in Savannah and his own clothes' bag.

"I know saying you don't care is uncalled for, but at least I got your attention, Damon. And I know it normally kills you to be around me, but let's just say that for the past few hours I've had a clear idea of how difficult it is for you to be around me. Maybe just this time I was the one having troubling with your presence alone" she offered, and while she was apologizing, she didn't show a lot of regret or sorrow. She seemed just plain mad.

"Really and how I supposedly feel right now, you do too?"

"Tortured, exhausted, emotionally drained, with a turmoil of things rushing through my mind non-stop, no matter how much I try to think of something else. You're everything that consumes my thoughts. And the product of all this is just plain pain, regret, sorrow and even desperation," she said sounding exactly like she had just described, leading Damon to frown at her. It made no sense for her to feel like that because of him.

"And why would you feel this way, Elena? I'm the one with a broken heart here, having to spend an insane amount of hours with the one who broke it. I'm not the one who broke your heart. I thought you would feel this way around my brother, but why around me?" his voice was a mix of sarcasm and real interest in the answer.

"For God's sake, why do you keep bringing Stefan up?" she raised her hands to the air, as he opened the door to their bedroom.

"It really pisses me off when you ask those stupid questions. Do you have any pleasure making me hear you say that it'll always be Stefan?" he said angrily as he threw everything in his hands in a nearby table, that cracked with the impact.

"No, Damon it has nothing to do with Stefan! It has everything to do with you! You say I'm stubborn but it seems like your skull couldn't be any thicker!" she answered just as worked up as he was.

"Of course! I'm the root of everyone's problems. I screw everyone's life up, even if all I do is love them, I'm liability!" he added sarcastically opening his bag looking for everything he needed to take a shower and go to sleep. He felt exactly like she had described and although he didn't have any idea of why she felt like that, he was impressed with the precision she used to describe his own feelings and emotions.

"Don't be dramatic," she rolled her eyes, following his moves and also opening her bag to take clean clothes, and toiletries.

"Call it whatever you want, I'm off to shower," he said passing by her, but before he could reach the bathroom door, she grabbed him by arm.

"Let go, Elena. I'm tired and exhausted. I've been driving for almost ten hours. I need a break," he said with his back still turned to her.

"I'm not letting you go before I say everything I want to say,"

"And I'm not going to stick around to hear your bullshit! Can't you stop being selfish for just one minute? Everything you ask me I do, even if it sometimes make me feel like there's a dagger being plunged into my heart, but I still do it because I can't say 'no' to you. But I need a break, Elena! I'm just one second from snapping, so if you don't want me to visit every other room in this bed and breakfast and kill them all, just let me go," he said between clenched teeth. He was losing her control as each second passed.

"You're so much better than this," she said quietly, still holding his arm.

"I don't think I am, but I'm tired, Elena. You're right, being around you is exhausting, torturing, draining and painful. For some reason you now feel like that too. You've been feeling like that for less than twelve hours, and you already want a break. Try feeling like that for twelve months, nearly twenty-four-seven and multiply the effect by ten because I'm a vampire and everything is fucking magnified!" he yelled and she actually jumped a little back.

"Damon, please," she pleaded, and she didn't know if she was pleading for him to calm down, to listen to her, to stay in control, or to simply turn around and face her. He didn't know what she meant either, but he hoped maybe with a look he could show how difficult it was for him, so he finally faced her again.

"No, Elena, I'm the one begging you here. Please, let it go," he said, and something in the way he looked at her, made her feelings for him impossible to be controlled, and before any of them knew, she threw herself against him and captured his lips with hers.

Damon didn't know how to react at first because he had never been so surprised by someone like in that moment. It took him a moment to react, but when he did, he reacted instinctively and kissed her back, but just a few seconds later his brain started yelling at him to stop. But he was absolutely exhausted and he had no self-control left, and no matter how loud his head yelled, he just couldn't stop kissing her. He had missed the feeling of her lips on his more than he had missed being a human. And that was saying a lot when it came to him.

But this kiss was different from the ones they shared before. It was just as emotionally charged, and for the second time in their lives they felt the intensity of something that couldn't be described. Unlike when he kissed her, there was nothing gentle about this kiss. There was only desperation, need, and a deep seek for cure and reparation. It seemed like that kiss was what they needed to heal their souls from what they just confessed to each other. Damon felt the voice in his brain disappearing as each second passed, until all his body and senses were consumed by the touch of the woman in his arms. Elena also felt her mind being emptied from all the many thoughts that had been keeping it busy for the last twelve hours. The pain, the exhaustion, the stress, were all gone and the former desperation and torture had been replaced by a completely different side of both emotions. They found themselves desperate and tortured again, but it wasn't something negative. They were desperate to take their actions and the physical contact to a new level. It was a feeling of anticipation that they were fulfilling as the kiss grew more and more heated.

In less than a minute, Damon was turning Elena around, giving her a chance to take a quick intake of air, and as soon as her back hit against the bathroom's door his lips were on hers again. The sexual tension that had always been present between them seemed to be unstoppable after they spent so many hours in just a small space, filled with emotions they had just so little control over. What they felt for each other was becoming harder and harder to be stopped or repressed, and in that moment they just let all their self-control go through the window. They needed the contact, they needed the release, they needed to let themselves feel. And to feel it all.

Damon couldn't exactly say when it happen, but at some point, his lips left hers, and he found his mouth moving to her jawline, and her neck. He wasn't gentle. He couldn't bring himself to be. It was the deepest need of his soul, and he felt like a man possessed by something he couldn't control or stop. Maybe if Elena had objected any of his advances he would have stopped, but as his mouth started to move even more to the south, he had been shocked by her actions.

Elena had also lost any control over her mind and actions. And when she felt his cool lips, and his hot breath leave her lips and exploring her skin, she felt her body taking over her actions. She was moaning while her hands captured his hair, and she closed her eyes, tilting her head back. But the moment he moved closer to her breaths she lost it completely. Her hands reached for the hem of her shirt, and just like that she pulled it off.

It seemed like time stopped altogether for Damon in that moment. Suddenly he just couldn't move from his spot, his hands cemented by his sides, and his eyes fixed on the olive skin of her chest and abdomen. She looked even more beautiful than he dreamed of. She wasn't wearing any fancy bra, just a plain black cotton cup that covered her small, but still perfect breasts. His trance had only been interrupted by her shaking hands starting to undo his shirt's buttons. And when her fingers grazed his chest, something took over him and he just cupped her breasts in his hands. And he knew they would fit them just perfectly. It was as if they were perfect for his hands. They weren't too big, and they weren't too small. They were just the perfect size for him.

The moment she felt his hands she moaned deeply, losing even more control over the work of her hands on his buttons. She closed her eyes, and felt him massaging her breasts through the thin material of her bra. Her whole body was being set on fire, and a pool of liquid desire was forming between her legs, soaking her matching cotton panties. Damon could immediately smell her desire and he could feel his member twitching in his boxers. He needed more contact, and moving his hands from her breasts, he took her legs and wrapped them around his waist.

The moment the bottom of their bodies touched, they instinctively started thrusting. They were both wearing jeans, but not even the thick layers of the hard unyielding fabric could stop the sensations that spread through their bodies when their most intimate parts were closer than they had never been before.

"Damon," Elena moaned as she pushed her body with force against his, but her voice finally broke the daze he couldn't have stopped before. And before he could repress it again, his rationality rose and seeing what they were doing, he let go of her, almost dropping her on the floor. It seemed like the contact that was setting his body on fire just a couple of seconds ago, was now lethally burning him.

He didn't say anything and just speeded out of the bedroom, leaving a confused, hurt, and sexually frustrated Elena behind him.

It took her a couple of minutes to recover from their heated activities, but when she did, she frantically looked for her phone. She finally grabbed it from her purse, desperation leading her to empty all the bag's contents in one of the beds. She then reached for her discarded top on the floor and moving to the door Damon had left open, she dialed his number.

"Damon, please," she said loudly, hoping that he would still be close enough to hear her.

Something inside of her knew he wouldn't pick up, and when the call was redirected to his voicemail, her heart dropped.

She remembered his words earlier. She knew he was on the brick of going into a killing spree, but if she was honest, she couldn't care less about the lives of the other couples, families and people in the bed and breakfast. She could only think of him. She could only worry about what he was feeling, where he was going, and if he was hurting or not. She didn't have a clue of any of those things. And the euphoria she had been feeling vanished from her being, and she had been taken by a deep and tragic desperation. She felt her body shaking as she left the bedroom and started calling for him, not caring at all if she was disturbing the other guests. It was already dark outside, and she knew better than to wander in the darkness alone, especially somewhere she didn't know, but she needed to find him. She needed to hug him, and take care of him. She needed to know she didn't push him to the edge, even if she couldn't stop her body from taking control over her actions.

She didn't realize she had started crying, when she entered the nearby woods, still shouting his name. She didn't know where she was going, and she kept redialing his number, while she ran hoping and needing to see the one familiar face that could do anything to her. In twelve hours she went through all possible extremes around him. She felt all emotions that could be felt. The bad, the good, the hopeful, the hopeless, the real, the delusional, she felt everything, and now, that she couldn't see him, she felt the air becoming thinner, and her body giving up as each step she took. Just a few yards inside the woods she crumbled over an exposed root, falling flat on her face.

"Damon!" she yelled, from desperation, need and pain, in both her body and soul. "Damon!" she continued and she didn't have enough strength to even move to a sitting position.

She continued to yell his name and she couldn't say if a minute or an hour had passed when she finally felt the familiar touch and smell surrounding her hurt body.

"What do you think you're doing? These are dangerous woods, Elena, and I'm not even talking about the supernatural. There are many animals in the area, you could have been hurt," he overreacted as the main images in his mind had been snakes, spiders, carnivorous plants, instead of alligators and bears. But the forest around the Blackwater River was still dangerous, if not as much as the forests in the north. She didn't say anything; she just buried her face in his chest, and grabbed the still open shirt, holding him with her life.

He wasn't using his supernatural speed, and walking slowly, it took him nearly twenty minutes to enter the bed and breakfast's area.

"Can you finally understand that it's also deadly painful for me to be away of you?" she finally said as he carried her towards their bedroom.

"There's so many hormones you can have, even as a teenager, Elena," he said, but there wasn't sarcasm in his voice. It was just sweet, bittersweet actually.

They finally reached the door to their room, and bringing her down to stand on her own feet, they found themselves unable to move from their positions.

"Are you okay, does anything hurt?" he asked seeing the small scratches in her arms, and a couple in her face.

"No, I'm okay, physically,"

"Let's get inside then," he suggested, and she nodded, following him.

"You can take your shower first, if you want," he said sitting by the bed that didn't have her personally belongings scattered on.

"Why did you leave?" she asked and he could say she was deeply hurt by his actions.

"I couldn't stay, Elena. Because if I stayed I wouldn't have stopped," he confessed, and she could see that he seemed to also have struggled a lot wherever she went for the past half hour, according to the clock on the nightstand. It meant she didn't stay more than a few minutes in the woods, though it felt like an eternity.

"And why did we have to stop?" she dared to ask, and Damon actually looked shocked and taken aback by her words.

"Because I'm positive I wouldn't know what to do with my life after you realized that we had slept together, but that it had been a mistake. I barely survived knowing how it is to kiss you, Elena," there was a mix of sarcasm and pain in his voice. She could see he was so exhausted that he couldn't even bring his defensive walls up as he usually did. And anyone could call her selfish, but she was going to take advantage of it.

"But this is only temporary, Damon," she explained, but he didn't budge.

"Exactly, I can't do temporary, I can't be your rebound," once again she could see the vulnerability speaking for him.

"I would never use you as a rebound, Damon! We just need to keep our hands and our hearts to ourselves only until I regroup," she offered, moving to sit by his side on his bed.

"What are you talking about, Elena?"

"I only need time to mourn my relationship with your brother, to heal some of the wounds it caused me. I can't be with you when I'm so broken and damaged. No offense, but I know you're a mess when it comes to how you feel; I'm a mess right now too. If we started something now, chances are we would mess up with something that could really be great if we waited just a little more," she said with a small, but bright smile on her face.

"Be with me?" he almost chocked on the words.

"Of course, Damon, that's the plan, why do you sound so surprised?" she frowned slightly.

"Why shouldn't I be surprised? Last I heard, you were confessing the feelings you couldn't help but have for my brother!" he blurted, sort of angry, but still absolutely shocked by her words.

"What? When?" she asked even more confused.

"Just yesterday, Elena! I heard you saying you couldn't help how you felt, that you loved him, that pain doesn't erase love and all that sappy, broody, love speeches you two seem to have so often," he couldn't believe she was playing with his feelings like that. She knew he eavesdropped on their conversation, why was she pretending there was nothing more between her and his brother?

"I meant I couldn't help the way I feel about you! How much did you hear from my conversation with Stefan?" she finally realized that there was only one explanation to his strong reaction. He didn't hear the whole conversation. And she could bet he had heard the bad part of it. It was just their luck.

"Enough for me to go back to the Grill and finish what I had started earlier," he said bitterly, avoiding to look at her.

She reached his hand with one of her own, and let the other turn his face back to her.

"Damon. I was explaining to him that although I love him, and I'll always love him, because he has been my true first love, I'm in love with you," her voice was sweet, and the smiles that had been small and shy until then, turned into a broad and happy one. She didn't lose the chance to confess to him her love, instead of having him hearing it when she was talking to his brother.

"What?" he uttered, and if he thought he had been surprised by her previous words, it was simply impossible to describe how he felt then.

"You didn't hear the part where I confessed I was in love with you, did you?" her smiled changed from one of happiness, to a knowing one.

"Of course not!" he said, as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world. If he had known she was in love with him the first leg of their trip would have been completely different.

"I can't fight this anymore, Damon. I can't pretend it's only sexual attraction. What I feel for you goes much deeper, and today just proved that I have only seen the tip of the iceberg," she cupped his face, looking straight into his eyes, and then to his lips.

"We need to talk," he said once he realized what she wanted to do. He was also dying to kiss her again, but he needed to understand exactly what she was saying, although it seemed clear enough. But after so many disappointments and heartbreaks he could use as much reassurance as she could give.

"That's what I've been trying to do the entire day!" she chuckled, but he was yet to find anything funny. This was the moment he had been waiting for so long. He lost count of how many times he had been hopeful and hopeless of it ever happening, but regardless it was happening.

"No, we need to talk, but it can't be when I'm about to drag you to hell on Earth. We need to talk about where things will go after we leave the Dark Zone, but it also needs to be after we leave there," he said, knowing that the gloomy place could change Elena forever, and the smile stamped on her face now, could never be the same after they went there. He was regretting bringing her more than ever now.

"Well, what I wanted to tell you is that I want to give us a chance, but I don't feel like the timing is good. I'm really hurt, confused, damaged by everything that happened between Stefan and I, and as much as I want to just jump with both feet in a relationship with you, it'd be a disaster," she said seriously, and he was relieved the only problem between them seemed to be time.

"I'm a vampire, Elena. Time is hardly a problem," he finally breathed with relief, and a small smirk appeared on his features.

"Good, so we'll talk once we're back in Mystic Falls, but I want you to know this before we close the subject," she said stroking his face her both her thumbs.

"What?" he said and she could feel him taking on the caress, leaning slightly onto one of her hands. She even thought he would close his eyes, but she was happy when he didn't. She wanted them to be looking at each other's eyes when those words left her lips again.

"I'm in love with you, I felt like the first time I said it didn't count," she offered, and asking for permission, she looked at his lips, but instead of allowing her to do what she wanted; he captured her lips with his own, and kissed her passionately. That kiss had also been different from all the previous ones. It was the kiss that sealed their fates together, and while it had been brief, it had been the most powerful kiss they'd shared. Somehow they both knew that that would be their last kiss before they finally could handle their situation, instead of Originals.

"So you're choosing me?" his lips also broke into a sheepish smile.

"Yes, I am. I want to give this thing between us a real shot when the time is right," she said sheepishly. This was Damon. She felt like she lacked a lot of things. He was experienced while she was a not. She felt almost intimidated by being his girlfriend. But that wouldn't stop her from being it if he wanted her, and she knew he did.

"Remember me to always hear you out when you insist on talking," he said before kissing her again, she nodded while she explored his lips, and they finally felt the weight of the world being removed from their lives.

* * *

><p>The rest of the previous night had been uneventful to the pair. After they finally talked about where they stood, at least temporarily, they took their showers, separately, much to Damon's disappointment, and after Elena ate something in the restaurant, they headed to bed, not before being moving to the Aruba bedroom. They knew there wouldn't be any sex or even kissing, but Damon wanted to have Elena in his arms and she wasn't complaining at all.<p>

The last part of their trip had been filled with rock 'n roll radio stations, short conversations and long periods of silence, but it was nothing like it had been the previous day. The occasional glimpses she took to look at him with a sweet smile on her face reminded both of them that they were okay. While most of time, Damon, just like Elena, was thinking over the events from the past few hours, his mind also drifted constantly to the place they were getting closer and closer to. He didn't want her to be there, and he planned to keep her indoors their whole stay. If only for some sort of miracle, he could remember which side of the woods he should take to enter the Dark Zone closer to Sage's house. There could be a slight chance that Elena wouldn't see how the humans lived in the damned place. But as they finally stepped out of the thick woods, he realized that even when they were headed to a good place emotionally, things would always be hard for them.

"Welcome to the Dark Zone," Damon announced sarcastically, but the only thing Elena's mind registered was the scenery ahead of her. And for the first time in her life, she felt like fainting because of something she saw, but instead it was her stomach who gave her trouble, and before she knew she was throwing up.

* * *

><p><em>AN: so we're finally in the Dark Zone. That was a hint of what you should expect. I don't watch True Blood regularly, but I've watched some episodes last year when I tried to give it a shot. I enjoyed it, but I didn't continue for some reason. Anyway expect a lot of TB kind of <span>gory<span>, a little of Dante Alighieri's Inferno too. I hope you'll enjoy it._

_As for the real development in this chapter... well there's only so much sexual tension and frustration one can bear. Some may think it's too early for Elena to feel stronger about Damon than she had ever felt about Stefan. I think it's quite overdue. Her pull to him had been something real, that developed over time, not from spontaneous generation like some other ships :P. She's in love with him, she loves him, and she can't deny, control or stop it anymore. But as you may already have noticed, the DZ isn't a place for love, so don't expect a lot of love affection while they're there, especially because they agreed she needed time to heal from not only her relationship with Stefan, but all the losses she went through._

_I'm REALLY excited about the Dark Zone because I've never written something like that before, and I hope I can deliver it._

_Huge thanks to my beta **Daniela** who edited a couple of chapters for me really fast because she was leaving on vacation. _**I may need another beta soon for my next AH story, so if you want to volunteer yourself let me know. **_Also I'm very thankful for those of you who were kind enough to review last chapter, I know that had been frustrating, but this one looks much better doesn't it? So don't hesitate in leaving a comment._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	14. XIII

.

**XIII**

* * *

><p>The shock from seeing the few people on the street prevented Elena to notice the houses. It was an absurd contrast.<p>

Those buildings couldn't simply be called houses. They were mansions, castles even. The boarding house seemed like a hovel compared to the palaces in the Dark zone. Black palaces. There were huge black marble walls on the outside of the huge houses. The glasses, that were quite common too, were also black, and if there was any light kissing the city, the reflection would be beautiful, but there wasn't any light. From one end of thick rows of dense woods to the other, an even denser layer of dark clouds surrounded the city. Actually the dark fog embraced the trees too, and that was why Elena could barely see a palm ahead of her at some point in the extent woods they just walked through.

The high walls made of marble and glass weren't the only thing exquisite about the houses. The medieval architecture was beautiful and flawless, and it seemed erosion didn't do anything to those buildings from the time that they had been standing on earth. Everything was perfectly shiny – even in a lightless environment – and the houses were the picture of wealthy, class, sophistication and power.

Somehow, despite the lack of sunlight, plants seem to be able to grow just perfectly in the gloomy city. There were many bushes, flowers, and even fruity trees. Those were the most colorful things around. But even then the bushes were dark green and dark brown, and the flowers purple and bloody red. But it was still a contrast to the lack of color in the buildings. There were also a few trees, as high as the ones in the woods, surrounding the houses, separating one from another. And far from them, in something that looked like a square, stood an imposing tree. The astounding tree contrasted even more with the rest of the scenery, for it had lighter leaves and trunk. It reigned there, in all its glory, surrounded by nothing but the space it needed to show its staggering form.

But Elena didn't notice any of that. She couldn't even see if there were any buildings in that place at all. Because the first thing she saw when they stepped out of the woods was a pregnant mother, taking her child by the hand. And while maybe having a pregnant blood companion could have been what shocked her, it wasn't. And looking at the two men walking just a few steps from them had been enough for Elena to empty the contents of her stomach.

She had never seen anything like that. It was like a view from… hell. Those people didn't even look like humans anymore. They looked like zombies. The color in their skin reminded her of the color of a staked vampire. They didn't have any clothes on, and their bodies were marked with scars and bruises everywhere, but especially around their intimate parts and the whole extension of their necks. But maybe the most horrifying feature about them was their eyes. She couldn't describe it, maybe because she was barely able to hold her gaze on them for a couple of seconds, but probably because she had never seen something like that. They lacked any resemblance of life. There was no shine, no focus or even color. They were just black, lifeless, dull, blank and static.

When she finally recovered from her initial shock she realized the darkness, and she was thankful for it. She could only imagine how those people would have looked if her vision hadn't been clouded by the lack of proper light. She knew for sure those scars, skins, eyes, and general appearance would be much worse. If that was possible anyway because looking back at them once again, even if only for a few seconds, she couldn't imagine how they could look any worse than that.

"They're not even humans anymore," she muttered quietly to Damon, who was also very uncomfortable beside her.

"What did you expect, Elena? That it would be like in the lousy movies they do these days? You thought that Sage was a good vampire at heart that saved people from death by turning them when they were mostly fated to die? This is real life, Elena," he answered harshly although he didn't mean to do it. But the picture in front of him also affected him deeply. During the ten years he spent in the Dark Zone he avoided going outside like the plague. No one, no matter how cold, evil, or inhuman, could see that and feel nothing. It was more than disgusting or creepy, it was brutal and revolting.

She only shivered, not because of his words, but because of brutal reality they were facing. She would regret coming to this place for the rest of her life, and she could only imagine how many years those people would haunt her memories, and possibly her dreams.

"Close your eyes," he said taking a grip of his own emotions, "I'll guide us to Sage's house," he instructed, and unlike most times, she didn't even bother to protest. She didn't need to see any more than she already did.

"Are all humans like that? Is that what they're going to do with me?" she asked, her voice cracking while she felt her whole body shaking as the thought crossed her mind.

"No, those are the corresponding of food here. They're used exclusively to feed their masters, and to keep the chain going on. They're not the blood companions, only blood bags and hatcheries. They're how the vampires make sure the human population here won't disappear," he tried to be as sensitive as possible, but the tough reality they were facing changed a person, especially a vampire, and he couldn't sugar the reality. It was that raw.

"But I saw scars near their… intimate parts," she mumbled. The images of how those scars were created brought images to her mind that she didn't want. She didn't hold her gaze on their bodies for long, but she could see there weren't only bite marks.

"Because of good veins that go there, especially near the groin area. But some vampires also have their blood while having sex with their companions. Something like a harem, male and female vampires are surrounded by dozens of humans, companions or not, while they have sex and feed," he explained, disgusted by his own words.

"But what about the children? They're cultivating human beings here!" Elena said disgusted. Although the woman looked slightly better than her child and the other two men she saw. But when she remembered the woman, her knees really gave up, and Damon quickly took her in his arms when he realized she wouldn't be able to cross the city walking.

"That's how they don't run out of food, Elena. Most of those people are descendants from the Indians living in America before the European arrived. When they started the Dark Zone, they made sure to have five to six humans to each vampire, and since then the women are compelled to have at least five children each. When a woman is found to be infertile, they simply drain her, as she has nothing else to give them," he continue to provide details of how the Dark Zone worked, and Elena was thankful to be in his arms. She could barely breathe hearing those words. It was too much.

"But that boy I saw, he couldn't be older than six," she said remembering his small frame.

"He's probably a teenager already," Damon said.

"That's impossible," she protested, the boy couldn't be taller than 3'10".

"How much do you think he can grow if they start taking his blood by the time he's four or five years old? His mother couldn't be taller than 4'11"," he said, and Elena didn't want to open her eyes to check that the humans were almost unnatural dwarfs.

"Four years old?" she muttered, shocked, while she felt her eyes wetting with tears.

"Try not to think about it, Elena," he suggested, but they both knew it was impossible. The damage and impact created by those people wouldn't leave their minds any time soon.

"You seem quite affected by it too…" she offered

"I'm not that inhuman," he answered, hurt by her assumption.

"I didn't mean it like that. But you said you lived here for ten years. I know that's impossible to ever get used to it, but I expected you to be less…impressionable by it," she reassured him, and in that moment she realized how close they were to each other. She was in his arms and somehow the realization of that calmed her more than she thought possible after having just a glimpse from the gory city. She could feel his heart faintly beating, and that was almost therapeutic. She realized that no matter where she was, what was going on in her surroundings, as long as she had him, things could be more bearable, and definitely easier.

"I spent most time indoors; I only left when I had absolutely no choice, just like most vampires here," he explained, and she then realized that although she wasn't looking at her surroundings, she was yet to see anyone that she could be identified as a vampire. She was positive the vampires wouldn't look like that.

"But if it disturbs them just as much why do they do it?"

"It's not like they have any other option, Elena," Damon offered.

"There's always an option," she answered indignantly. He didn't expect her to have any other reaction, but there were many things she didn't know about the place where they were and the people that lived there, especially the supernatural ones.

"Not when you have made an agreement with witches and there's powerful magic involved," Damon said lowly, looking around to see if there was any vampires outside. The information he was sharing with her was highly confidential in the Dark Zone. Nobody outside their world could know or else they wouldn't be able to leave.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think those buildings look as new as if they had been finished last month and not nine centuries ago?" he asked her, as he took a look around at the beautiful house surrounding them. There had been forty-hundred of them, but as they were almost as big as medieval palaces, it made the city considerably big, which was why they weren't by Sage's house yet. Hers was the first, and he entered the Dark Zone through the back.

"It's impossible for them to have been built that long ago," she offered. She had noticed the houses when they started walking, and she did her best to avoid looking at the humans. She was impressed by beauty of these constructions, and she even quickly wondered how had them been built there, but the thought was soon dismissed. "There wasn't technology to cut marble just as sharply and perfectly like that," she said opening her eyes to look at the imposing castle they were passing by. "And I'm sure glass wasn't like that a thousand of years ago either," she pondered.

"Which means witches did it. The architecture is typical of the first millennium but the materials used are not. Sage and the other Ancients were offered an agreement by the witches living here," he explained, and Elena changed her position in his arms a little bit, trying to see his face the best she could. He wished she stayed quiet. Carrying her was keeping him sane while he walked by dozens of humans doing their daily activities to survive. The few fruity trees and plants there were to keep them alive, and there were even a few cows and pigs at the western end of the city.

"Were there any witches here centuries ago?"

"Witches are more bound to exist among Indians than not, Elena. Indians are the people who had the closest connection with nature. Nature is all they knew for thousands of years. That's how healers appeared, and a few centuries later they developed into witches, at least in the New World," Damon explained, and she was surprised by the amount of information he had on this.

"Why haven't you said anything about this before?" she asked curious. Damon usually didn't have a serious, and long, conversation like that. He could share his knowledge with others, but only small pieces at the time, and definitely dripping as much sarcasm as possible because he clearly didn't have patience with sharing information. Maybe that place affected him more than she first thought. In ways she was still learning.

"Because I would have to explain how I learned those things in the first place, and that's not something I was allowed to do," he shrugged slightly.

"You learned it here, but no one could know you have ever been here," she concluded.

"Exactly,"

"But I don't see how witches - who supposedly exist to keep the balance in nature – would be doing favors to vampires, especially building fancy palaces for them to live in? Didn't they know what they were doing to the humans here when they agreed to that?" she asked.

"You don't know what they were doing for the humans here, when the witches came from what would correspond to at least four states nowadays, the witches came to propose a deal," Elena could feel the small shiver that went through his body. She was certain vampires didn't shiver because of cold temperatures, as they didn't feel the weather, but it seemed like the same couldn't be said by scary, horrible things.

"That bad?" she asked quietly.

"If you can think of something worse than this, you have the picture in mind," he said, with a look on his face that she couldn't quite decipher.

"I can't possibly think anything worse than this," she said looking away from him, and into one of the houses they were passing by, making sure she was looking as high as possible to avoid even a glimpse of what those people called humans.

"Trust me, it was," he answered just above a whisper, but still she heard it.

"So the witches came here and built them a city in exchange for what?"

"You're missing some important details here. This isn't just a city. How do you explain how those buildings didn't erode at all over the past nine centuries?"

"They created a city to last forever…" she said in awe.

"Yes, the witches didn't know about the originals, because the Originals weren't around at the time. I don't know if they went to the west, north, or just somehow went back to Europe, but Klaus and his gang weren't around. In fifty years the other Ancients had multiplied the vampire population here by four, and they weren't stopping," he kept filling her into the details of everything Sage ever shared with him. But unlike him, the Ancient vampire shared each piece of information in months, sometimes even over a year since their last talk about the Dark Zone.

"But why create more vampires? I don't believe there were a lot of Indians living in the area," she wittingly queried.

"Exactly, Sage and her group were quickly decimating the population. But vampirism, like any other species in the world, evolved as the years passed. The first vampires still held a lot of their humanity, though it was wearing down very quickly as time continued to pass. Whenever they felt affectionate towards a human, they decided to turn them instead of just killing them," Damon explained, and Elena was actually surprised by that piece of information.

"At that pace they were going to eradicate any human life in America," she concluded, and he nodded.

"That's exactly the conclusion the witches came to. The Indian witches weren't like the Old World's witches. They weren't looking at ways to balance the nature because there was nothing to be balanced to start with. They used to live in total harmony with nature, and they started developing magic because of that close relationship. Their spells were mostly to cure, and to bring rain through drought times, but when they realized what was happening, they looked for help in the only place they knew: the spirits of nature," Damon went deeper into the history and Elena was quite impressed by how it used to be back then.

"So they agreed to create a never-aging city to vampires in exchange for them to stop killing humans?"

"Exactly," he said, trying to keep his eyes on her as much as he could. It's been a long time, but he still knew his way around those streets off by heart. The only risk he was taking was bumping into a human, and even if he never did, he just made a prayer and asked God to prevent it from happening. Elena wouldn't ever forget it if she saw those people so closely.

"But there are humans here!" she exclaimed, nearly looking around her, but the picture of her first view of the city immediately made her freeze, and she couldn't look anywhere but Damon's beautiful face. Actually his mesmerizing features had never been so comforting as they were for her now.

"They had to look at the big picture, Elena. Leaving some humans to the vampires was just collateral damage, they had to think about saving the rest of the tribes the Ancients and their vampires didn't kill off yet," he explained, but he could feel her getting uncomfortable again. He knew for sure her mind was back at the human inhabitants of the cursed city, and involuntarily he felt his arms bringing her closer to his body.

"I'm sure it wasn't only some humans," she whispered, still doing the best to stop herself from looking around again.

"It seems like about three hundred Indians had been captured by the vampires before the spell was done," he said, knowing it was too much, but there were almost fifty vampires already.

"And how did they trust the vampires not to leave the city and take more? I don't know how many vampires were here by that time, but three hundred humans don't scream long term food warehouse," she said, feeling herself wincing at how the words left her mouth. The place surrounding them was more powerful than one could imagine. Once there, it seemed like the rules of the world completely changed. It seemed like she had been brought into another dimension, instead of just a city. And in that dimension values and people differed from the ones she had been used to. She couldn't believe she had said those words, but they were exactly what she had been thinking. How could she think so little of humans lives like that? Surely it wasn't her opinion about the subject, but simply the only way that situation seemed to be seeing. It didn't make it any easier for her conscience to have worded things like that though.

"They didn't, there's a spell that the vampires weren't aware of until they tried to leave. They couldn't leave. They can't surpass the woods. As I said the witches were naive and they didn't expect vampires to exist anywhere else, and they weren't too experienced in those sort of spells either, so instead of making a spell to keep any vampire from leaving the city, they just made sure those who were here wouldn't leave. Their spell was like a seal, once they were done, no one inside, human or vampire could leave," he said relieved to know it. If the witches had blocked out any vampire he would never have met the girl in arms.

"But that doesn't explain how they survived with only three hundred humans for nine centuries if they didn't know they could leave. Rebekah said when they turned they didn't have a lot of self-control, so I think a vampire could end five or six humans in a very short time, and once they were out of food and tried to go outside they would find out they couldn't, and all of this wouldn't exist anymore," she reasoned.

"But that was the plan, to kill them out of starvation. The witches didn't know anything about vampires, except that the sun hurt them and drank human blood to survive, but they expected them to be like any other creature. They expected them to die from starvation, easily solving their problem. They would just need to demolish, or make the city disappear once they vampires were gone. But it didn't take too long for the vampires to realize they couldn't leave. At first they didn't try to leave per say. It seemed like keeping their word was a big deal for the original inhabitants of America, and the witches knew it. They expected them to only try to leave when they realized they were running out of food. They were too naïve, but they had already seen enough destruction to know those vampires couldn't control their bloodlust at all. They knew once they were starting they weren't the honorable people that would at least keep their word, like everyone else did at that time, including murderers. But one of the Ancient vampires was only a fourteen years old, and she tried to leave the city once, not to look for more humans to kill, but because she missed her sister. According to Sage in the prior stages of vampirism they didn't kill because of the thrill or their predatory side. They were starving and there was only one thing that could satisfy them, and once they started they couldn't stop,"

"But Sheri hid her sister from the other Ancients, and missing her too much she tried to leave not a couple of weeks after the spell was cast. And that was when she was met with the invisible barrier, and of course she informed the rest of the vampires," he finished his explanation.

"Who exactly are the Ancients?" Elena asked. She had wanted to ask him that since he started talking, but there was always a more important question to be made or a conclusion she came to. It was a lot of information to take in.

"The first vampires created by the Originals. Kol turned Sage, but Rebekah and especially Finn created a few themselves. Rebekah out of boredom I imagine, but it seemed like Finn had big issues with being a vampire, so at first he turned humans instead of simply killing them. As far as I know Elijah and Klaus didn't create any vampires back then, and for reasons no one can explain, the first dozen vampires created were much stronger and similar to the Originals than the others."

"But what makes them different from other vampires?"

"Some of the powers the Originals had been passed through. Sage can compel other vampires for example. And as you can imagine, nobody can live in perfectly harmony with someone for so many centuries, never being allowed to leave, and having to rule the place. So let's just say a few of them tried to kill each other, but they didn't succeed to kill some of them, because like the Originals they can't be killed with normal stakes. But as they aren't quite like the Originals either, they take decades, sometimes centuries to wake up. Maybe Sage will even want to test the dagger I brought to see if it works in the Ancients as it works in the Originals," he said, and this time Elena didn't say anything. She was just digesting all the information she had just learned. And it was a lot to take in.

Before they could say another word – not that they were planning to – Damon felt someone taking him, and holding Elena closer to his body, he closed his own eyes. The speed they were moving was much faster than he could muster to move. Which meant one thing.

"Hello Sage," he greeted when they stopped, no longer than some seconds later, and inside a house, instead of outside.

But her answer hadn't been the one he expected. Not at all. She quickly detached Elena from his body, nearly throwing the human against the opposite wall.

"You know the risks I took by releasing you, you were not supposed to come back, especially bringing a brand new human with you," she said, and with that she staked him in the chest.

Elena didn't have time to even see where she was, she just stood up from her position, and seeing Damon's body falling motionless on the floor, with a stake coming from the middle of his chest, she just screamed, moving faster than she could to be by his side. "No!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: This chapter is similar to the kind of episode I like the least in the show: the informative or historical ones. But as much as it's needed in the show, it was needed here too. I tried to give a good picture of the Dark Zone, and I think that it was at least minimum entertaining, and the cliffhanger definitely makes up for the boredom I suppose you felt reading Damon explain the story of Dark Zone to Elena.<em>

_I think I need to clarify the heartbeat thing, because many fans assume that vampires in TVD just like most (or all) other vampire fictions, don't have a heartbeat. But it was mentioned in one of the episodes, and if I'm not wrong clarified by JP herself (or KW) that vampires in TVD do have a heartbeat, a weaker one, but they have. I like it this way better anyway._

_Thanks a lot for the reviews last chapter, and to my lovely beta, **Daniela.**_

_xoxo, have a nice a week_

_Bárbara  
><em>


	15. XIV

.

**XIV**

* * *

><p>"What did you do to him?" Elena ran to his body and tried to remove the stake, but it was too deep in his body for her to pull it out. Also she was still weak from the bite and their long hours traveling, eating and resting not enough time for her to recover. She was just thankful he wasn't becoming gray, so she knew despite aiming at his chest, Sage didn't hit his heart. Probably on purpose. Elena had no doubts her aim was as accurate as a controlled missile. But for a moment she hadn't been rational, for a moment all she could think was that she would never have the chance to be with the man she loved. She nearly died from that thought alone. It was like air couldn't reach her lungs, but thankfully her rationality quickly showed her he was only pale as usual. Gray was her least favorite color forever.<p>

"Something better than what I am about to do with you," the women said, with her back turned to Elena, while she occupied her hands with some objects Elena couldn't quite see.

"He came here in peace," the human offered, but it seemed to only annoy the vampire more.

"We don't do peace here, and you better shut up, your voice is annoying me," Sage offered with a bored voice.

"He had it coming the moment he stepped foot here again, and he knows it. I had made myself clear when he left," Sage said, finally turning to see Elena, holding a giant knife. Elena was immediately reminded of the people she saw outside, and she knew what Sage was about to do with the weapon in her hands. But then the vampire placed the blade back where it was. And looked carefully at the human standing a few feet from her.

Now that she wasn't feeling as threatened anymore, Elena allowed her brain to register the vampire. She had been surprised by that woman's beauty. She had exotic features that could make any other woman jealous. She had voluptuous, bright, red hair that was slightly curled and ran midway down her back. Her eyes were big, and expressive, and so blue that they popped contrasting with her hot colored hair, but her orbs were also penetrating and threatening. Her skin was also very pale, and she looked very feminine and tender overall, with a shade of mystery and something unknown, but also threatening. Elena could easily picture her as a princess from the medieval age, even if she never lived in Europe. She had a small nose, but her lips were full and rosy. Her body was flawless, a perfect hourglass. The woman exuded tenderness, power and danger all at the same time.

The vampire also took her time appraising the small girl who now held the unconscious vampire's head on her lap. She could never forget that face. She had been jealous of that face, not because of the common, although beautiful, features, but because its owner also owned the only man she cared about since Kol. After a few centuries Sage was tired of hoping against hope, and she knew she would never be reunited with her one true love. But Damon had been special. She had fallen for him, and she only let him go because she couldn't deny him the chance to spend the eternity with the woman he was in love with. She knew the time they spent together didn't make him forget about Katherine. That was the reason why Sage did the best she could to be his friend more than his girlfriend. Of course it didn't help too much, but she at least knew what to expect, and she had never expected Damon to feel for her the same way she felt for him. That was why she had never confessed her true feelings to him. She wasn't planning on letting him go after just ten years, but when the perfect cover to his death came, she killed a new vampire who entered their territory unnoticed by the others, and said it had been Damon. She couldn't stake the unlucky vampire who was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. She waited for the sun to rise and compelled him to try to 'run' after she dressed him with some of Damon's clothes, he became a pile of ashes just a moment later when he reached the limit of the city, entering the woods, in the one spot rays of sunlight entered the dense vegetation. There had been a couple of witnesses, a human companion and an Ancient, but still some vampires in their council were suspicious of her explanation, mainly because it was unlike for a young vampire to find a way to fight compulsion. They had already heard of vampires and even humans who were capable of fighting compulsion, but that had been decades after Damon 'died' and everybody knew how Sage was close to Damon. They, unlike Damon, had known her for a very long time. They saw the difference between how she treated him and all her other vampire companions. Although both vampires were rarely seen together at public events, that fact alone proved how Damon was special to Sage. She never protected her companions from the Dark Zone's brutality.

"So another doppelganger is born… interesting," the vampire offered, looking Elena from head to toe, while the human tried once again to remove the stake from Damon's body.

"Did you know the Original Petrova?" Elena asked, and only then she realized her face was wet with tears she didn't notice were falling. She was still processing what had happened in those few seconds, and that had been one of the worse moments of her life. The prospect of losing Damon seemed to have hurt her more the actual pain she felt from losing so many people important to her in the last few months. The only pain that could be compared to the one she had felt just a few minutes ago was when she lost Grayson and Miranda.

"Unfortunately no, but thanks to Damon here, I saw a picture of Katherine, the resemblance is really incredible," Sage continued looking carefully at Elena, but soon her eyes drifted to Damon.

"I had spent eight centuries unattached to anyone else for a reason, you dick. I knew you would be the death of me, Damon Salvatore," the redhead said with a harsh tone that didn't meet her eyes. Those eyes that only a minute ago showed Elena how dangerous the female vampire was, and now was looking quite affectionately at the staked vampire, on the black marble floor.

"I thought you were in love with Kol?" Elena said, quickly catching the sort of connection that had existed between Sage and Damon. What surprised her wasn't that realization, but how she didn't think of it before. Damon only knew one way to associate himself with someone from the opposite sex.

"You know about Kol? He didn't have a right!" Sage jumped from her place enraged. In one second Elena felt her body hitting the wall behind her with force, and the vampire's hands around her neck.

"He re—leas—ed him for y—ou," Elena managed to gasp, and that actually got Sage's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Damon, woke up Kol. He un-daggered him," Elena said between coughs, thankful that Damon had shared the story behind Sage and her maker. The vampire was two seconds away from strangling her.

"Is Kol awake?" Sage released Elena totally. Her voice was small and she seemed incredulous to what her ears were finally hearing.

"I suppose he already is. Damon un-daggered him two nights ago, and Elijah and Rebekah stayed behind to ensure Klaus wouldn't cause him any harm or put him to sleep again. Damon has all the daggers," Elena said weakly, moving her hand to her throbbing neck. She then realized the pressure and strength Sage put on her neck didn't kill her, but reopened the bite wound, that was bleeding slightly. The girl remembered when Damon said the residents in the Dark Zone never had to learn how to control their bloodlust, and fearing the worst she hopped Sage wouldn't attack her.

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm the doppelganger. I had been part of Klaus' plans for the past millennium. There was no way I could have hidden from him. But Damon and Stefan arrived before him, and somehow I'm still standing," Elena offered, and Sage stayed quiet for a moment. The human didn't want to provoke the vampire's rage again, but seeing how she now seemed less aggressive, she carefully and quietly pleaded, "Can you remove the stake? I'm still weak… from the trip," Elena almost mentioned the bite, but decided against it. She was positive the Ancient vampire could already smelling her blood by then, but Sage seemed to be in a trance since hearing about Kol.

"Sure," she said, walking towards Damon and removing the piece of wood from his body, "I'm sorry, Lover," she offered to unconscious vampire, while kissing his lips softly. She did it because she missed him, but also because she wanted to punish Elena somehow. If Damon was with the human version of the doppelganger instead of the vampire one, it could only mean two things: either Katherine died or he chose Elena over her. And that meant she released him for nothing a century ago. But she wouldn't hold it against him, especially when he had awaken Kol for her.

"You'll stay here, and won't move, no matter what," Sage ordered, and Elena knew she was being compelled. And she could say that the strength and persuasion behind the vampire's words were something she never saw before.

The vampire took Damon in her arms, and before Elena could blink they were out of the room.

* * *

><p>Sage took Damon to her bedroom, and carefully laid him on her bed.<p>

"Josephine!" she called, and just a moment later a small girl, in her teen's years, entered the room.

"Feed him," Sage looked at the woman for only a second and turned her attention back to Damon, stroking his hair softly.

The woman reached the nightstand in the opposite side of where Sage had laid Damon. The Indian opened the first drawer and taking a sharp knife, she pressed the blaze against the joint of her leg and groin.

"Can't you see he's unconscious? How is he supposed to suck your groin? Cut your arm," Sage demanded impatiently, and the woman, who was already bleeding significantly from the first cut, made a long and deep cut along not only her wrist, but her forearm.

The girl had barely enough strength to bring her arm to Damon's lips, the cut in her groin making her lose blood quickly. Sage who was already tempted by blood from the small droplets coming from Elena's neck, didn't think twice before burying her head between Josephine's legs, draining her in just a few seconds.

"George!" she yelled, when she realized she had drank most of the blood from the dead girl she had discarded on the floor, as Damon was still very pale and didn't even flinch, as a result from the blood he consumed.

"Get rid of her, and demand another novice to come here," she said, and the strong vampire nodded, although his eyes were locked at the small pool from Josephine's blood that covered the floor.

"You know you can always have my crumbs, George, no need to waste my precious time. Get over with it and go do what I said. Now!" Sage said impatiently, and just like a dog, the tall man threw himself on floor, desperately and hungrily, taking just a second to let the black marble clean as new. He didn't even look at his master again, before taking Josephine's body, and folding her against his arms, cracking a lot of her already dead bones. He collected her as if she was a piece of paper that he was wrinkling before throwing it in the bin.

The younger vampire knew better than to wait for the human to make it to the third floor in Sage's palace. Josephine had been compelled to always stay by Sage's floor, being allowed to move just as far as the bathroom across the Ancient's bedroom.

This time it was a boy, that couldn't be older than fifteen, and his skin had just a few scars, all of them around his neck and wrists.

"Samuel…" the redhead said softly. The slender teenager reminded her of Kol too much, and Sage had always shown a little bit of humanity towards him. Even now, knowing that her man, her soul mate was alive, and awake, somewhere, she didn't have the heart to give the boy his death sentence.

She should be mad at George, who knew Samuel wasn't simply a blood bag, but there was so much a brain, even for a vampire, to bear with compulsion for over five hundred years. George was still somehow capable of executing simple tasks, especially the ones that demanded strength, but he had lost his ability to have the simplest thoughts clearly a long time ago.

"Make a small cut on your wrist, and come here," she said softly, and the boy only nodded, reaching for the knife Josephine had dropped when she cut her skin for the second time. He did as he was said, and approached his master, offering her his thin arm.

"Let's help Damon," she said moving his wrist towards the raven-haired vampire's mouth. The hand that had been stroking Damon's hair was now stroking Samuel's, while her other hand helped him keep his wrist in place.

"That's enough, sweetie, thank you," she said kissing the boy's forehead, while he stood in front of her, looking blankly at Damon. "You can go, Samuel," she ordered, and the boy turned around, marching outside the bedroom.

"Now, don't be dramatic and just wake up, Damon," she said kissing the vampire on the lips, and moving to lay by his side.

* * *

><p>Elena couldn't help, but be curious about what was going on upstairs. She had heard Sage's irritated voice, and she heard a small commotion coming from somewhere inside the house, but she couldn't move. She had to stay where she was no matter how much she wanted to know what was going on. Also the place was a palace for crying out loud. It would take her hours to find Damon.<p>

Suddenly though there was someone standing in front of her, and she knew he was a vampire. He hadn't moved in human speed to enter the room, and she had never seen such a creepy look on someone's face. It seemed like he was in a haze, his eyes widened, his mouth ajar, as he looked at her like a maniac.

"Human…" was all he said, before looking at the small amount of blood spilling from Elena's open wound.

"Damon's human, I'm a blood companion," Elena tried to reason with the vampire that was getting closer and closer to her neck.

"Human…" he repeated, his eyes still locked on her neck.

"You can't feed on me, I'm someone else's," she tried again, but it did nothing to the vampire that was already kneeled in front of her. It seemed like he didn't even register her voice, let alone her words.

Elena looked around, but what was the point of trying to escape? This was a vampire, who was a few inches from her neck, and she couldn't do anything to stop him. So her best plan was to scream and hope someone would come to her rescue. She just hoped Damon was already awake because that was her only chance. She was positive Sage wouldn't come.

Her loud voice echoed through the walls, and less than a couple of seconds later someone was throwing George against a wall. It was a good thing all walls, and the floor, were made of marble. The violence with which people and vampire had been thrown around in so many centuries was impossible to measure. Although the walls never even cracked because of the spell, not the resistant material. Not even marble could resist so long and so much.

"Are you okay?" Damon said kneeling in front of Elena.

"Yes, how are you?" she asked, throwing her arms around his neck, not caring that her shirt was getting soaked with his blood.

"Vampire, Elena, we heal fast," he held her close. He had to make sure to be more alert than ever. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her, especially in a place as dangerous as the Dark Zone.

"Oh, I forgot about your doppelganger," Sage entered the room as if her vampire wasn't about to kill Damon's girl, "George, leave, you can't feed on that girl," she compelled the vampire, who left the room as soon as his master ordered.

"You can move, Elena," Sage said her name sarcastically, while she looked at the girl who was wrapping her arms around Damon.

"I think we need to talk," Damon said to the Ancient vampire, who rolled her eyes, but motioned for them to follow her.

They were led to a sort of living room. There were some couches and a couple of armchairs, Damon was about to take his seat in one of the couches, when Sage interrupted him.

"This is still yours," she said pointing to the armchair almost in the middle of the room.

"Thank you, Sage," he said taking the seat she offered, while Elena sat on the couch across from him.

The Ancient wasted no time to sit on Damon's lap, who didn't seem to mind. Actually he even looked appreciative of it. And he was.

Damon was very fond of Sage. She had been without any doubts, the healthiest relationship he had ever had with someone. They were friends, and the sex had been one of the best, if not the best he's ever had in his life. They understood each other, and they had a silent agreement of leaving any feelings out. But still Sage fell for Damon and Damon had been infatuated with the redhead. Or maybe more, but not to the point of falling for her. She was safe, and good to him. When he found out Katherine wasn't in the tomb he thought more than once about going back to Sage. But he couldn't imagine himself living in the Dark Zone for the rest of his existence. And if he was honest with himself he was already attached to his brother back then. For a while Damon thought Stefan could have the human doppelganger while he kept the vampire. But learning that Katherine was never there, and that it meant she never loved him enough to look for him, broke the perfect deal in his dreams.

Elena couldn't believe him. The female vampire removed his shirt, throwing it somewhere on the floor, because they wouldn't want the furniture to be ruined by the blood. Elena was even angrier – or was jealous – knowing that Sage shared the same nearly OCD behavior Damon had about decoration pieces and furniture. And she felt the blood boiling in her veins when the redhead started to run her fingers on his exposed chest. And Damon even had a silly smile on his face, and for some seconds it seemed like she wasn't even in the room.

After their talk Elena thought he would at least wait for her now that she confessed her feelings. She never thought it was fair for him to wait for her when he didn't know if he was ever going to have a shot with her. But now that they had talked, and instead of reprimanding the Ancient, Damon seemed to welcome her into his lap. Elena wouldn't have any more of that, and clearing her throat not-so-subtly, she finally broke the trance the vampires were at.

"We weren't officially introduced, I'm Sage," the Ancient turned from Damon to Elena.

"Elena, Damon's girlfriend," she said boldly, and Damon actually raised an eyebrow at her, while she looked at him trying to show with her eyes that it was part of their cover.

"Are you back doing humans nowadays? What happened to dearest Kat?" Sage turned her attention to Damon with a frown on her face.

"I'm over her," Damon simply said. He wouldn't tell the humiliating story to Sage while Elena was in the room. He didn't have a lot of reservations with Sage, and he would tell her the whole story, but when the two of them were alone.

"So, Elena, I suppose you've met Kat?" she turned to Elena, with a knowing smile on her face. She realized how the brunette reacted when she mentioned the first doppelganger's name.

"More times than needed," the human answered spilling the hate in her words.

"Touchy subject?" the Ancient asked, noticing then the red thin lines embracing Elena's neck. It was almost all dried up, but it was still blood.

"Damon, can we get to business here?" Elena turned to the vampire, at the same time Sage stood from his lap and started walking towards Elena.

Before Damon or Elena knew what was happening Sage's fangs were finishing the work she previously started to reopen Elena's wounds. But the ancient ended up more surprised than the two raven-haired people in the room.

"What the hell, Damon?" Sage choked, as she spat Elena's blood, coughing for more seconds. "She is loaded on vervain!"

"She is mine Sage, not simply my companion, I wouldn't bring her here any other way. I know how things work here…" Damon said, much to Elena's relief. He then left his position in the armchair, and joined her on the couch, ignoring his friend still coughing on the floor.

"I thought you trusted me better, I wasn't going to kill her," Sage said, finally standing up. She had never tasted so much vervain, and she wondered if all Elena ate and drank for the last couple of days wasn't the lethal herb.

"I thought I trusted you exactly like I should, bloodlust control isn't that common in this side of the world," he said while he inspecting Elena's wound.

"Not that we need to learn it for anything…" Sage said, sounding slightly offended by his words.

"I know you have a point, which is why she took vervain before coming here," he said still checking Elena's neck and then yelling at George.

"When your so lovely master brought me here, I dropped our bags on the street, go take them for me," he said as soon as the vampire entered the room.

"What are you doing here, Damon? I'm sure you don't miss me in your bed, as she is yours," the redhead offered with disdain in her voice, while she watched Damon doing a curative on Elena's neck. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

"First of all, I came to give you this," Damon said showing her a picture he took with his cell phone after un-daggering the youngest Original, "That's him, isn't it?"

"How?" Sage's voice cracked, opposing to the strong and confident tone Elena had already got used to.

"It's a long story, for bed time," he said, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be with Elena. Who could blame him? The idea of being Elena's boyfriend was so surreal in his mind that he had a hard time keeping the pseudo-farce on. "The bottom line is that I released him along with Rebekah and Elijah. They won't let Klaus fool them again, and as soon as I kill Klaus, I'll bring him here for you,"

The room was silent for a moment. Sage kept looking at the picture in her hands. Even more wilder than Damon's dreams of having Elena, were Sage's dreams about being reunited with Kol. She stopped having hope a long time ago. Silent tears started to run down her face, and once again Damon found himself being as close to her as they used to be a hundred years ago. He wiped her tears with his thumb, tilting his head slightly to the side, and offering her a sweet smile, leading her to give him a sweeter one.

It was clear to Elena they weren't simply bed buddies, they had a real connection that existed between them. Her mind somehow drifted to the last time she saw Damon being connected to someone that wasn't her or his brother. Rose. But what she witnessed between him and the dead vampire couldn't compare to what she was witnessing now.

She felt a mix of jealousy and joy watching Damon and Sage interact. The jealousy for obvious reasons. She had never really had competition when it came to his heart. She knew Andie had been just a distraction, not a real attempt to move on, and Rose lived too shortly to make any damage. But things with Sage were different. Damon didn't try to cover his feelings. He hated to let people know he cared. She had had to push him to the edge for him to admit he cared for Rose. But now he was naturally showing affection towards Sage. He didn't reprimand his feelings, and while it made her jealous it also made her proud of him. It made her appreciate and love him even more. She was already aware of how tender he could be, but he kept showing more and more layers to his outstanding personality. As time passed and she learned more about what that man was capable of, she started seeing him as a man, and not a vampire, in a way she never saw Stefan. And what she saw revealed the most amazing person she had ever met. She felt honorable for being loved by him. And she hoped her love could match his because he didn't deserve anything less.

But Damon and Sage weren't aware of the moment she was having while she watched them, and their next words made her remember her biggest fear. Loss.

"I know you know how to kill Klaus. I'm here to learn how," Damon said finishing his work on Elena's wound. He hoped it would be enough to prevent another unexpected attacks, but without starting a wounding process. She still needed to show she was bit.

"I can't let you do that, Damon," the ancient said, after almost a minute.

"What? Why" Damon asked completely taken aback by her answer.

"You kill Klaus and you're dead," she finally looked away from the picture, and her fierce blue eyes were burning into his own.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So this is my Sage. I had such high expectations about TV!Sage but I was deeply disappointed when she betrayed Damon like that. The one thing I like in the books is how Book!Sage is just a comrade to Damon. My Sage is a mix of many things, and I'm afraid I won't have time to cover everything I'd like to. Not time to write, but time in the story. She's fierce, strong and very reckless, but not by choice, but because of the place where she was raised as a vampire. All vampires in the Dark Zone are like her when it comes to control. She had only loved two men in her life, both vampires, Kol and Damon. I wanted to make someone to really love Damon, because in the show they always love Stefan (Kat, Elena, Rebekah, etc). She's faithful to Damon, but not to the point to risk the place where she lives. She can't be killed - as an Ancient - except for the same thing that kills the Originals. But she doesn't know exactly what that is, and Damon will help her figure it out, so in her mind she has to make that place less awful as possible. So she won't risk the Dark Zone barely bearable environment because of him.<em>

_ As fo__r why she says Damon can't kill Klaus I'll let you know that it has nothing to do with what the show decided to do - which I didn't like actually - so killing an original here doesn't mean killing the entire bloodline. The reasons are others. Just to explain my opinion, I like the idea in theory (show's), I just don't like how "easy" it's to kill the entire vampire population in the world. My reasons here aren't much better, to be honest, but that's what I figured out._

_So let me me know what you thought about Sage, about this chapter and your guesses about why Damon can't kill Klaus._

_Thanks a lot to Daniela for being the beta to this chapter and to all your reviews in the past one.  
><em>

_Have a nice weekend_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	16. XV

.

**XV**

* * *

><p><em>"You kill Klaus and you're dead,"<em>

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, alarmed by the news. It didn't matter if Damon was the one staking Klaus or not, and therefore dying, the mere mention of him and death in the same sentence sent her in a disarray.

"Niklaus can only be killed by another vampire, and when he dies, the vampire who killed him dies as well," the Ancient explained. And the first thought in Elena's mind was when Damon almost killed Klaus.

"But he was one second away of killing him!" she shrieked. Her emotions were taking over, and not the great ones she felt warming her heart just a moment ago. She still had a hole in heart left by the many losses she had, starting with her parents and ending with Jenna. And then there were her friends' family members as well. She had just started feeling the wonders of loving Damon. She couldn't lose him.

"How?" Sage asked frowned. There was only one way to kill Klaus, and she was the only one who knew it.

"Mikael gave us a special stake to kill Klaus and I did stake him, but not through the heart. Then as I was about to finish the job, my dearest brother decided it was a good time to trust Katherine, which then resulted in Klaus using the stake to kill Mikael," Damon said with annoyance dripping from his words.

"And didn't Niklaus die?" Sage asked confused.

"Should an Original also die from it?" Damon asked.

"Of course, any vampire would die from it. If Mikael had killed him, he would have died," the redhead stated matter-of-factly.

"That's why he allowed you to do it instead of him," Elena whispered to Damon who was enraged, but also frustrated. She wish he wasn't by Sage's side now, but hers, she needed the reassurance of his presence as close to her as possible. She couldn't lose him. Not him of all people.

"Do you think being a hybrid prevented Klaus from dying?" Damon asked after thinking why Klaus was still alive.

"Was the curse broken?" the Ancient asked surprised.

"Yes," Damon was the one to answer.

"And how are you still alive?" she turned to Elena, and it was Damon time to feel uneasy about losing her. And instinctively he moved to where she was sitting on the couch.

"My father offered his life in exchange of mine through a spell, when he died I was resuscitated," Elena said, feeling the impact of her emotions taking over her. She wasn't close to John at all, but all their previous problems with one another had been forgiven and forgotten the moment he sacrificed himself for her.

"That's probably the reason then, his werewolf side must have prevented him from dying," the redhead concluded.

"So if Damon or Mikael had successfully killed Klaus, then he who did it would have died?" Elena asked feeling her throat getting dry, as she reached for Damon's hand and held it with all strength she had.

"The vampire who staked Klaus would have died," the vampire repeated herself.

"What if a human stakes him?" Elena asked, and Damon knew in no time she would be thinking of being the one to sacrifice herself, but Sage's answer quickly put his heart at easy.

"The witches knew a lot of humans could die trying to do it, and enough humans' lives had been lost according to them, they didn't want to risk it," she answered, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"That's stupid," Elena offered, but Damon couldn't be any more thankful for the witches' stupidity. If whatever dumb idea they had prevented Elena from doing something even more stupid, he was thankful for their existence.

"You know witches and their ridiculous reasons and outstanding fears for unbalancing nature. Add that to their limited capability of doing something simple, their sloppy and confusing spells, and the fact that more often than not, they're just monumental fails. Now we have a big supernatural mess, which is why both Damon and I are standing instead of being dead for centuries," Sage said rolling her eyes, prompting Damon to smirk. They did share a lot of things in common. Their opinion about witches was just a small reminder of that.

"So it seems like we're up to a suicidal mission," Damon said humorlessly.

"You'll probably have to keep this information from the vampire you'll convince to stake him," Sage pointed.

"Who said I won't do it?" he asked.

"You won't," both women answered although for entirely different reasons.

"You can't kill him if you're here," Sage was the first to elaborate. Elena wouldn't tell him her reasons now, but there was no way she would let him kill Klaus if it meant he would die from it.

"Sage… I can't stay, especially with Elena," he started. The few things Elena and he had talked prior to entering the damned city was how they were going to leave it. They had a plan that Damon went through time after time. But nobody could know he and Elena ever stepped in the Dark Zone.

"They were suspicious last time, they won't think twice before staking me if you leave again," she explained.

"But I couldn't contact you any other way," Damon reasoned.

"I'm sorry, Damon, if there was anything I could do, you know I would do it. But, I can't break those rules, the only reason we've been living somewhat peacefully for the past four centuries is because no one had broken the rules since then. You know we'll take whatever we can to make this place any less unbearable. It's a double curse to be a vampire and have to live here, I can't destroy what had been so hard to build, not only because of me, but because of Sherri and Anthony," she said quietly, and Elena realized that the raw and cruel reality of that place was too much even for their inhabitants. She wondered how many vampires committed suicide after living there.

"I'll try to escape, but if I can't, Elena will leave alone with whatever it is that will kill Klaus," he explained and Sage was shocked by the answer.

"Damon, you know the natural fate of those who aren't stuck here because of the spell," Sage said tenderly, almost crying.

"Yes," he said simply.

"What is it?" Elena asked, knowing that part Damon didn't mention this when he explained most of the history of this place.

"Death. Suicide actually. The real curse for the Ancients is living forever, Elena. None of the vampires that were trapped here nine centuries ago are still alive. They all killed themselves because they couldn't live forever if living forever meant living here," Sage said, avoiding looking at the couple across of her.

"But the Ancients can't be killed, only put to sleep…" Elena remembered Damon's previous words, and all of sudden she felt bad for the vampires living there. They would never die. And they would either live in the hell they were destined to, or starve themselves to eternity. No vampire could die without blood, and she supposed the process Pearl and the other vampires in the tomb went through was painful and extenuating. But then she realized they could compel those vampires to never kill themselves, but they certainly didn't do it. Saving that hell for someone was something not even the Ancients would wish to their worst enemies, let alone unfortunate vampires who had the bad luck to enter the Dark Zone at some point in their lives.

"But what if Elena can't escape either?" the redhead turned to Damon.

"Nobody will be able to compel her, we have more vervain and she'll always be load on it to resist compulsion," he promptly answered, bringing her body closer to his.

"I didn't mean through compulsion, you know they could do a lot of things, including turning and killing her," she warned him, and the couple was well aware of the possibilities, although still they felt each other's body getting tense at the Ancient's words.

"And if someone feeds on her, the moment they sip her precious blood they would know she's on vervain, and they won't think twice before killing her and probably you too," she asserted, and Damon gulped. That was something he didn't think about. He thought about them trying to kill her, but if this place still worked like it used too, he knew they weren't willing to waste source of new blood like that. The blood from the humans they kept there felt bland compared to a normal human. They would want to keep Elena alive, but they would certainly taste her blood and uncover their plan. He felt stupid, but also afraid and he knew there would be only one alternative to prevent that. The one thing he assured her he wouldn't do.

"But I thought you said you were in peace because for the last few centuries no one has broken the rules," Elena said, feeling how Damon grew even tenser by her side.

"The main rules, smaller incidents like feeding on unclaimed humans were broken a few times,"

"But Damon claimed me as his, they can't feed on me," she explained.

"Things have changed since last time you came here because of those small incidents. We couldn't risk having riots again because Ancients and vampires pretended to claim a human when they didn't. As you may already know, claiming a human creates a bond that doesn't work too well for vampires. So to ensure the human is indeed claimed, the ritual must be done in front of all the council," the redhead explained, and the color drained from Elena's face.

"So you're saying that…" Damon started, but he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"You would have to feed on Elena and have sex with her in front of them for them to know for sure you've claimed her as yours," the other vampire said.

Damon looked at Elena, but she looked away. He knew that wasn't a possibility. She wasn't any more willing to create a bond with him than he was, and definitely not in front of twelve vampires.

They were quiet for a moment. Sage had only been around them for a couple of hours, but she could see Damon loved Elena like he never seemed to have loved Katherine. The human also seemed to be very in love with the vampire, and her heart broke for the one other person she allowed herself to really care about. Samuel had been spared because he was the one thing that would keep her closer to what she had been sure she had lost forever. But she really cared about Damon, and she hated to deliver such devastating news to him.

"Anyway, you should feed your human, Damon. I can hear her stomach from here," she said, feeling disturbed by so many emotions going through her. It had been too long, a century, actually, since she allowed any sort of emotion into her heart. And while she learned how to deal with them while Damon was with her, now he had someone else. In addition to what she felt for her friend, she still had to deal with the overwhelming fact that she could be reunited with Kol in the near future. That made it too much for her alone, without adding her feelings for Damon. She had to leave, she had to kill, she had to let her dark nature take over her, and make her forget those emotions. It was an overwhelming feeling for a vampire as old has her to feel so many things. She felt like something inside her would explode, and it nearly challenged her sanity, like it would with any of the other Ancients who lived in the Dark Zone. Somehow they stopped in time not only because of their un-aging city, but also in the evolution of the species. They were weaker emotionally than any other vampires.

"Of course," Damon said realizing what she was going through, and without another word, he took Elena and their bags and walked away.

* * *

><p>It took Sage another couple of days to finally approach Damon and Elena again, but she finally did. Damon knew she had been under a lot of stress dealing with emotions when she spent so long without any. In the meantime, he spent all his time with Elena in their bedroom. They didn't leave the large room, except when Damon cooked for her. She was touched to see that in one of the stops during their trip he bought food for him to cook for her while they were in the Dark Zone. He was thoughtful and a perfect gentleman. He even apologized for not refraining Sage from her advances in the living room. He knew he had to be careful around the Ancient when he broke the news about Kol and their plan. He knew although it was a good thing, Sage would still struggle to deal with it. And he didn't want her to get hurt, he wanted to be there for her. Elena understood and even admitted she was jealous, but the beautiful and long giggle she heard from Damon's lips for the first time in her life when she admitted her jealousy made the ordeal worth. Sort of. But she really complained about his 'bed time story' comment and he admitted that momentarily he forgot about their cover and their agreement of being together, just not at the moment. Who could blame him? Sleep with Elena only happened in his wildest dreams even if it only involved just sleep.<p>

But as the second day passed, the human missed going outside, but she wasn't willing to see the shells of humans walking around. She could understand why Sage needed time, but it didn't mean she wasn't annoyed by it. She wanted to leave that place as soon as possible, and she hoped that now that Sage invited them for lunch, they could finally talk about what she knew about killing Klaus.

They were quietly eating – the Ancient was actually eating food – and Damon had already said to Elena they would talk again about a way to kill Klaus when Sage touched the subject. The brunette wasn't happy with it, and she was even surprised Damon was so condescending. But she trusted his assessment of their situation and she just wished they could leave already.

"So, Elena, when I compelled you the other day to stay in the hall, you weren't really compelled, you just faked it?" Sage asked, breaking the silence, and Elena looked terrified to Damon, who was sitting across her, while Sage was by their side, sitting in the head of the table.

The male vampire nodded positively, and Elena confirmed what the Ancient asked.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to her about how it feels to resist compulsion, even if only because of vervain. The last vampire who came here said there were humans learning how to resist compulsion without vervain. With the Originals running around, it'd be nice to learn how to fight it," Sage asked.

"It seems like when you're lazy while compelling it's easier to resist," Damon rolled his eyes.

"Touchy subject," Elena smirked to Sage, daring to make a joke.

"I definitely want to know about that. Anything that can scratch Damon's huge ego is always funny to hear," she carried on with Elena's joke, relieving most of the human's tension.

"I thought you hated each other just two minutes ago? Not that I blame you, I would also be jealous of whoever touched this dashing body," Damon also carried the relaxed conversation. And he couldn't really lose the chance to point out that they were jealous about each other and their actions with him.

"Oh we can still be jealous of each other, Damon, but there's nothing like joining someone to make fun of you," the redhead winked to Elena.

"It seems that only once in your existence you actually had good taste for females, Damon," Elena smirked, and he rolled his eyes again.

"I'm going to have a blood bag while you two talk," he said before leaving. The Ancient absently nodded her head. She was more interested in whatever Elena could share with her.

"So, Elena. Have you ever been effectively compelled?" she said, and then sipper her wine. Elena would later ask Damon about how things kept being delivered in the Dark Zone.

"As far as I can say once. Elijah compelled me to give him information," she said, also sipping her own glass of wine. That was also another plus about being with Damon, as a friend, girlfriend, or whatever. He let her enjoy herself the way she wanted and he didn't care about right or wrong.

"Eli… he's suck a dork. If whoever told Damon his compulsion was lazy and that's why it was easy to resist, Eli's is absolutely impossible to break. He does things according to Vampire 101," Sage chuckled, while she shook her head slightly, but then something caught Elena's attention.

"Your vocabulary seems quite modern," the brunette pointed out.

"We have cable, Elena," Sage rolled her eyes. Did she expect her to talk as if she was still living in the 1000's?

"How?"

"Compelling vampires to leave, find and compel humans to do it, and come back with them and the paraphernalia they needed. It seems like there's a city near us nowadays," the redhead explained as if it didn't bother her at all to compel vampires to compel humans. They actually tried once to compel vampires to bring humans to have more food, but somehow the humans rarely made it alive to the never aging city, and the risks were too big with vampires leaving and coming all the time, especially after they found out there were humans fighting compulsion.

"Was Damon's compulsion really broken?"

"Yes, a guy named Bill broke it. Damon asked him to forget some facts, but he didn't," the human explained to Sage who was even more curious.

"And how did he do it?" Sage insisted.

"Something about keeping the mind clear from influence," Elena said remembering the words Damon later said to her and Alaric.

"Well with so many vampires around you, do you think there might be a slight chance of you ever being compelled to forget something?"

"I'll never know, but probably yes," Elena shrugged. It's not like she could remember if they compelled her to forget.

"What else did this Bill guy say?"

"I guess I have to make my mind fight the compulsion,"

"Don't you remember ever having a blank space in your memories? Like something is missing, or maybe having a déjà-vu moment? As compulsion wears off that's what happens. I know because we have to re-compel a lot around here. Compulsion doesn't last forever as some think," the vampire explained, and Elena actually took the time to think. She had been having those déjà-vu moments just a couple of weeks ago.

"Actually yes, some words, some situations, I seem to have already experienced them, but I don't have any memory of it," Elena said, and she was already intrigued.

"While you're here, I want you to try to empower your mind, to clear it, and do whatever you think may work to make you remember it. You sound just like someone who has been starting to remember things pro-compulsion," Sage assessed and Elena nodded. If she had been compelled to forget something, she really wanted to try to remember.

"Well, I think that's it for today, you tell Damon we'll talk about the weapon to kill Klaus tomorrow, I have to spend the afternoon in the council meeting," Sage said standing up. Compulsion was the key for the survival of the Dark Zone. If something threatened it, they could lose their grip on humans and vampires. That was why they had to get rid of any vervain around the city. Elena provided little to no information, and it didn't seem something they should fear from now on, but she would warn the other Ancients about it. She just didn't know when she would do it, because to share the news, she would have to cite a source, and both she and Damon agreed his and Elena's presence in the Dark Zone should be kept a secret, if they weren't willing to create a bond in front of the council. She knew she was taking a risk, because just like she saw them, any other vampire could have seen them to. But if there was, she would find out about it in the meeting that she was dreading to go.

* * *

><p>Elena also decided to leave the room. She didn't feel comfortable – or safe – if Damon wasn't around her, not even when they were indoors. Sage had at least five other vampires living in the palace with her. The human didn't want to cross paths with any of them. She didn't know if the Ancient had compelled the others to keep away from her.<p>

She ran to the bedroom she was sharing with Damon, and much to her relief, no vampire crossed her way.

With the knowledge of them having cable in the city, Damon and Elena spent most of their afternoon watching TV in a room the Ancient had it set up in her house. They had dinner, and having nothing else to do, they headed to the bedroom again. Sage was yet to arrive, and Damon knew those meetings could really be long. But they could do a better use of their privacy and took the opportunity to talk about their plan while the redhead wasn't around to eavesdrop.

"She seems to care a lot about you too," she offered, while she traced patterns in the thin fabric of his wife beater. They were lying in the only bed in the bedroom, her head resting against his shoulder while they talked, waiting for sleep to come.

"She was the first person to genuinely care about me," he confessed showing the vulnerable side of him she loved so much.

"It's hard not to once you get to know you," she said, snuggling closer to him.

"I guess, you're biased, Kitten," he chuckled, enjoying their closeness. Being in a place like the city had a lot of cons, but one of the pros was definitely the huge amount of time they had to do nothing, and just be around each other. In their first night there, Elena was too exhausted, and they just slept once they hit their heads on the pillow.

Their second night had been tentative, except for when they talked about Damon behavior around Sage the day before. Damon didn't know the limits of their arrangement. They never talked about it. He didn't want to sleep away from her in a house full of vampires, and she didn't want that either. Still things were somewhat awkward. But the following morning, when they woke up to find themselves tangled in each other's bodies, they simply accepted it. They were in love with each other, they wanted to be with each other, even though the circumstances sucked, but it didn't need to be any more awkward between them. They could just be like they were for the past few months, it would just include a lot more of physical contact than before. But Damon was yet to make the first move to kiss her again. There was still a lot of tension caused by where they were. Elena had had nightmares the first two nights, and sleep didn't come easily after them. Things were far from ideal, but at least they were comfortable touching each other. Kissing would happen in a matter of time in Damon's head, but he wouldn't push her.

"I'm not biased, I'm a living example of what I'm saying," she said tenderly, and he actually felt his heart change its always low and constant beating rate. She had that effect on him.

"Oh really?"

"The only reason I want to grieve my family, and put a space between my relationship with Stefan and you, is because I want to be the girlfriend you deserve to have, Damon," she broke the contact between their bodies – and propped her head on her hand, while she looked straight at him. They were talking about important things, not the usual small talk, or about their plan, and she wanted to look at him while they did it.

"Nah, it's probably because you need to be in great shape to bear with me," he dismissed her words, but there was something in his eyes she couldn't catch yet.

"You're not being serious, are you?"

He simply shrugged and she realized she had never really understood the depths of his self-esteem issues. Damon had been rejected and unloved by almost everyone around him for over seventeen decades. He had been used by Katherine, had been turned against his will by his brother, and had lived a loveless existence for almost a century and a half. If she felt she was damaged, she couldn't even compare to what he was. In that moment she made it her mission to fix him. To love him like he deserved, to love him to the point all the bad experiences he had ever had would become just a distant memory. She wanted to make him happy more than anything in the world.

"I love you, Damon, of course I'm being serious, I don't want to hurt you. What hurt me the most when you left the room in Pensacola wasn't because you left me with a boner," she chuckled and of course he made a comment about making it up to her now, to which she rolled her eyes, but they both held big smiles during their banter, until she started talking seriously again.

"The reason I was so desperately looking for you was because I didn't know if you were hurting, if you were okay. I can't stand to watch you hurting, Damon. It brings a pain to my chest that suffocates me, it feels like I can't breathe," she confessed, and he could see it in her eyes that she was talking from the bottom of her heart. But he didn't say anything. He just stayed quiet, hearing those words and really absorbing them. Was there anyone really saying those words? And Elena of all people? The girl he loved? Was his life finally taking a curveball for good?

"You've spent almost a year protecting me from everything and everyone. I'm only a pathetic human, that can't protect you from anything, but I can protect your heart, and I will. Whether or not we're in a serious relationship or just a casual one, I'm taking care of you, just like you've been taking care of me for so long," she said, using her free hand to cup his face.

"You're not a pathetic human, Elena," he whispered, tempted to close his eyes as he felt her touch and relished in it. He couldn't stop feeling that way every time she touched him like that and he was far from getting used to it. As she said, he had many decades of abandonment to be made up for.

"I am when there are hybrids, Ancients, Originals, or even your standard vampire around. Even witches are more powerful than me. But I have a powerful weapon for myself too, and I'll use it as many times as needed," she smiled softly.

"And what would be that, Kitten?" he smirked, thinking she was just joking around, but her answer affected his heartbeat once again.

"My love," she said before leaning closer and softly kissing him. They didn't deepen the kiss, just let their lips feel the honey on the other's.

"You speak of your feelings as if they were the strongest bond that ever existed," he said it before his brain filtered his words, still on a high from her lips on his. He was losing control over his walls when he was around her, but it didn't bother or scare him.

"Trust me, it surprised me too. From the moment I stopped denying and fighting them, they took over me. It's a force I can't stop, and honestly, I don't want to stop it anymore. I don't know what had been more exhausting during the summer, trying to have hope against hope that Stefan could be rescued, or fighting what I felt for you," she admitted, showing her own vulnerability.

"You definitely hid those feelings quite well," he chuckled, although it still hurt a little bit.

"I think I learned from the best," she winked, welcoming the small amount of playfulness. It was still hard to open up to him.

"I am indeed the best. But you haven't seen half of the things I'm the greatest in," he carried on the light side of the subject, while he wriggled his eyebrows.

"But I'm sure you'll show me each one of them," she smiled maliciously, two could play that game

"With pleasure," he said seductively, moving his hand to touch her with just as much seduction, as he traced her jawline.

"I'm afraid about when we have to leave the house," she said when she felt her whole body shivering from his touch.

"Why is that?"

"Sage said they won't believe in a bond unless it's consumed in front of them," she said, and their conversation was all serious again.

"I would never do that to you, Elena. Never, that's not an option. I told you I wouldn't create a bond between us, let alone with twelve witnesses around," he said with determination, and she knew he planned to keep his word no matter what, but something in about his words also bothered her.

"Are you that resistant about creating a bond with me?" she asked shyly. She felt like sex would be one of the hardest barriers they would have to overcome. Not because she was a prude, but because she felt really insecure. Caroline said Damon was the god of sex, and she was too inexperienced in that department. Neither Matt or Stefan were creative, or naughty, or bold. She knew Damon had had many partners, probably the best. Sex was a big deal in any relationship. What if she couldn't match him?

"A bond isn't something comfortable to a vampire, Elena. It's not only about dismissing my life in exchange of yours. It's the amount of emotions and feelings we have to deal with. I'm not that old, but I'm not a baby vampire anymore. It's been too long since I was human. Even if we don't turn the switch off, a vampire can't deal with emotions like a human does," he explained, completely unaware of where her insecurities really stood.

"I hate to bring him up, and I'm in no way comparing the two of you, but Stefan seemed to deal with his feelings exceptionally well when he wasn't on human blood," she said, really hoping it wouldn't make him insecure. He seemed so confident – but not arrogant – since their talk at the bed and breakfast, and she had been right in her assessment.

Damon feared feelings, being hurt and vulnerable more than death itself. But the moment she said she loved him, it healed a big part of him. She was absolutely committed with fixing him, but she wasn't aware that only loving him already fixed so many things in him. He didn't feel threatened by his brother. He didn't feel threatened by anyone. The only insecurity he still had in his heart was about her life. He would die protecting her, but it would only be worthy if she indeed survived. Klaus stopped being a threat to her life, but Rebekah made it clear that she was still a real one. And he knew the witches from the other side tried to kill her once. She was the key to make Klaus even more powerful. At some point witches, nature or even other vampires could try to take her life away to at least stop Klaus from creating an army. Who knew what his plans were? But he didn't feel threatened about losing her heart anymore. And when she said things like the ones she had just said, it only made him more confident.

"Stefan only knows extremes. He can be the most inhuman vampire when he's a ripper, but when he's not, I guess he can be the most human," he offered, and she was relieved to know she could talk about Stefan around him. He didn't want that to be a touchy subject, especially when his brother was so lost.

"Moderation is something out of reach for him," she concluded.

"Not if it depends on me," he answered with determination.

"What do you mean?"

"I won't give up on my brother, Elena. Back then I could have tried to save him, to pull him from the edge and I didn't. I saw the legend of the Ripper of Monterrey being created and I did nothing to stop it. I won't fail him again, and I won't stop until he makes it," he admitted, and she could feel the weight of his past decisions on him. He truly regretted them.

"When did you become so mature to admit your feelings so easily?" she teased, not resisting the opportunity. She was starting to realize they could come from being dead serious to foolish just like that.

"When loving you showed me that no matter how painful love can be, it's still worth. It's not a weakness as I used to think, it's what makes me stronger," he admitted, touching her again, but this time he wasn't seductive, he was tender, caressing the side of her face, and then moving to her hair.

"This thing between us. I was so afraid – I'm still afraid that it's going to be complicated, but as each minute passes it feels easier," she put into words her previous thoughts, changing the subject once again.

"Because we're taking things easy, Elena. You're simply using me as your pillow and using my lips for your pleasure, but when we come back to Mystic Falls we'll have to face the real world. My brother, your brother, Alaric, Caroline and especially Bonnie and Matt won't be that supportive of us," he couldn't believe he was being the buzz killer, but he knew they weren't exactly in the best place to really test their relationship. Not when it came to what she was saying.

"You'll be surprised," she smiled softly.

"I don't think so,"

"Caroline and Bonnie had been encouraging me to admit my feelings for you for a while now. Bonnie didn't even give you an aneurism when she learned about the kiss," she chuckled, and once again he found himself being the pessimist he spent so many decades being.

"Encouraging you to admit your feelings is one thing, watching you act on them is completely different," he offered.

"I don't care, Damon. Nobody should have a saying in my personal life. Who I decide to be with or not, it's solemnly my problem," she said fiercely. And he had to admit, it turned him on.

"If things were difficult with Stefan, it'll be a challenge with me," he said, ignoring his body reaction to her words.

"One I'm preparing myself to take," she reached his hand, taking it in her small one.

He only smiled at her determination. He was so happy, he felt so complete in that moment, that he didn't have anything else to say. And for Damon resisting to make a witty comment or to be pessimist again was really an accomplishment.

"You can trust me," she said a few minutes later into their comfortable silence.

"I trust you, Elena,"

"You can trust me with your heart, Damon. When I was struggling with my feelings, one of my main concerns was hurting you. I was afraid of giving it a try only to find out a few weeks or months later that we couldn't work out, that we couldn't be together. I know how much you care about me, and knowing that I would bring you even more pain, that I could be teasing your feelings, made me insecure. But since we kissed in Pensacola, everything between us just reassured me that things could really work out between us. What I said in your bedroom that night was true. I like you just the way you are. Except that I more than like you, I love you, all of you. I don't need you to change; I don't need to change myself. I feel comfortable around you and with you in a way I've never expected to. I didn't know what to expect, but now I know," she said holding his hand tighter as she spoke, but the biggest part was yet to come, "I want to create a bond, not here, not now, but in the future, I want it,"

"Elena, the reason why I don't want to create it isn't because I don't trust you, it's because I don't trust myself," he admitted, but she wouldn't have it.

"But I do, Damon. I won't let you lose it; I'll be there for you. You said you'll be there for Stefan and you won't stop until he learns moderation. His weakness is human blood; yours is dealing with your emotions. I'll help you through this, through all of this," she assured him, moving her hand to his face.

"You don't have any idea how hard it is for me…" he said, finally giving into closing his eyes as she tenderly touched him.

She also couldn't resist it, and seeing as his eyes were closed, she once again closed the space between them and kissed him slowly and longingly.

"Maybe I don't, but I want to. I owe you that much," she said once they both opened their eyes after they broke apart.

"You don't owe me anything,"

"Yes, I do. You'll be appreciated, loved, cherished and worshipped as you deserve, Damon Salvatore, I'll make up for your one hundred and seventy-three years of not having enough and deserved love," she said, kissing him again. She couldn't stop herself anymore. His lips were lustful, and the sensations taking over her body while their lips brushed were addictive.

Once again he didn't know what to say to her, so he simply kissed her back, softly and tenderly as the love, appreciation, cherish and worship he just saw in her eyes spread through his body and soul.

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><p><em>AN: Extra long chapter :P<em>

_Is that a little bit more of... progress? Yes, your eyes didn't deceive you. They're taking step babies, but things would move really faster from now on. Except issues will rise, but I wanted them to have a moment like that at this point. I provided a little more information about Damon's behavior last chapter. As I admitted to some of my reviewers, I purposefully decided to be a bad writer and 'punish' Elena a little bit for all times she did the same or worse to him. But Damon also had his reasons, he cares about Sage, he wanted to be there for her when they discussed their reasons to be in the Dark Zone. And as for the sleeping with Elena part. Honestly, can you really blame him? They're supposed to do it because of their cover, but they also agreed about being together in the nearly future. But in a tense conversation like that Damon let it slip. And then again I wanted to punish Elena - not much 'my' Elena, but show!Elena is annoying me too much since 3x12._

_Back to this story. I hope some of you don't think Elena was rushed in her admission and the strength behind her feelings, but as I explained through her, I do believe once she stops denying and fighting her feelings, they'll take over. They've been repressed for so long, it's like keeping water in the dam, and them simply just removing the barrier. The violence, force and speed of water taking over everything will be much bigger if he had never been dammed._

_Anyway, let me know your thoughts! I do love reviews, and I'm happy for the new readers and my new reviewer. Keep them coming._

_Thanks a lot to **Daniela** who was my beta to this chapter._

_Have a nice weekend and Happy Easter for those who celebrate it._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	17. XVI

.

**XVI**

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><p>The next morning, although Elena was in heaven after the night she spent with Damon, she worked on the mind control techniques Bill mentioned. She had talked to Sage again after breakfast, and sharing more of her glimpses they were both convinced she had been compelled. She tried to relax, to keep any thoughts out of her mind, and then she concentrated on the few things she was sure she had heard and seen before, despite having no register of them in her brain. But there had been one thing bothering her through all this. Every glimpse she had involved Damon somehow. She knew he had compelled Jeremy twice, because it was what was best for her brother. She wondered if he would do the same with her, without her approval. He had really crossed the line when he fed her his blood prior to the sacrifice. As much as she had forgiven him for that, it was a whole new story if he was lying to her now. She didn't know how she would feel if she found out he really compelled her and never even admitted it. Remembering how he never answered the question when she asked him a couple of weeks before, she felt like the honeymoon of their almost-relationship could be over before it even started.<p>

And there was only one way for her to really find out about it.

Ever since they finished breakfast, Damon decided he would read the old scriptures Sage had about the Originals. Maybe there was something else they were missing. The Ancient assured him all vampires in the house, as well as the humans – to spare her the brutality on their bodies – had been compelled to keep their distance from Elena, and he could be tranquil about her being alone in the house.

Sage had retired to her room, to feed in her human of the day, although she wouldn't kill him. As much as she wanted to keep feeding from Damon's blood bags, she knew they would be done soon, and she could easily become addicted to the fresh blood, although was canned as he called it, it wasn't worn off as the blood of the humans inhabitants in the city.

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><p>After doing the mind exercises for over an hour, Elena had had enough, and decide to face her biggest fear in that moment.<p>

"Can we talk?" she said as she entered the library. Damon actually frowned. They had been talking freely about everything with each other. She even mentioned the easiness between them last night, and now she was asking him if they could talk?

"Sure, what's up?" he tried to cover his suspicions, sounding casual.

"Would you lie to me, now that we're sort of together?" she asked, feeling already uneasy by the just initiated conversation.

"You can trust me, Elena," he answered, bothered, and even hurt by her question.

"It doesn't answer my question, Damon," she insisted, keeping an unreadable façade.

"I would do everything not to have to lie to you. You know I don't have any limits to protect you, and if I have to lie to you to protect you, I'll do it," he admitted, and while she had come there to talk about something else, his words promptly changed her plans, at least for now.

"You can't lie to me, Damon. No matter what your reasons are. How can we be in a relationship if you're admitting to lying to me when you feel you need to? How can I trust you? And how can you say you trust me, if you don't trust my judgment?" she moved to one of the chairs in the broad room.

"Elena, you must admit you have a sacrifice bone in your body. Some days I suspect all your bones are suicidal and prone to sacrifices," he meant it to be humorous, but he couldn't joke when he was talking about her life. Even if only about hypothetical situations.

"Do you think it's easy to have people dying because of you and for you every other day? How come everybody can sacrifice their lives for me, but I can't do the same? How do you think I feel about John dying to save my life? How do you think I feel every time any of my friends put their lives at risk to spare mine? Do you have any idea how much the guilt is killing me? How destructive the pain is?" she said, tears already falling down her cheeks. That was a touchy subject for her. One she didn't go there to talk, and somehow ended up doing. It only made it all harder for her to keep her emotions on bay if she didn't prepare herself to face those old ghosts.

"And you're willing to cause the people you love so much the same pain? How selfish do you think that is? You won't be here feeling the pain of having a loved one dead. It doesn't matter if they sacrificed themselves, if it was a fatality, disease or supernatural creatures, Elena. When you lose someone you love there's only pain left. Do you want to inflict that pain on us? Do want to inflict that pain on me?" he asked, and she had never seen him so vulnerable as in that moment. He seemed to be on verge of tears himself, and she knew that was a sore subject for him as much as it was for her.

"It's only fair if we're all playing by the same rules then, Damon. If you'll lie to me if it means you're protecting me, I'll do the same. If you're willing to die for me, I'll do the same. You can't ask me not to, as much as I can't ask you," she said quietly, and although he wanted to disagree he knew it was only fair. And even if he thought it wasn't fair, that was how it was going to be, there was no point in denying it.

"Which is why we need to find a way to kill Klaus, and make this nightmare stop. Nobody should die for anyone, to protect anyone," he reasoned, and she knew he was right, but it wouldn't be as simple.

"Klaus may or may not be our last enemy, Damon," she offered, and he knew she had a point. But he would become crazy if he considered all threats that could take her from him.

"But he's the one we have now," he answered, turning his face away from hers.

"He doesn't even want me dead anymore," Elena said, quietly, because she knew he would be mad.

"But he wants to use you, to use your blood. I won't let him touch you again," he answered enraged. If he had been protective of her when she wasn't his, now that he was a step away from it, he couldn't allow anyone to touch even a strand of her hair.

"Promise you won't be the one staking him. As long as he won't kill me, we can find a way to work around it. As long as my life isn't really at stake, promise me you won't get yourself killed. I need you to promise that, and I can promise too. Taking my blood, even against my will, won't kill me, Damon; losing one more person I love might," she pleaded, and there weren't words more honest than the ones she was spilling at him.

"Elena," he said already tired of that conversation. He knew things wouldn't always be great as they were the previous night. Live was never that easy.

"Promise," she nearly shouted, while she tried to fight her tears, but still lost.

"I promise," he agreed. He knew it was fair.

"Promise you won't lie to me, unless you're saving my life from real life and death situations," she continued on her demands.

"I promise," he agreed with that too, knowing she was automatically agreeing to do the same.

"So tell me, have you ever compelled me, Damon?" she stopped beating around the bush.

"Elena…" he started, not expecting that question again. With so many things happening he stopped thinking of a way to tell her what he did. He knew she wouldn't be angry because of what he made her forget, or if it was for her own good. She would be hurt by his betrayal.

"Answer the question," she said through tight lips, but she already knew the answer. The way he was looking at her, the way he said her name. It had been enough to answer, but she needed him to admit that.

"I have once," he admitted, and she thought she could hear the noises of her heart breaking inside of her.

"Why? When? How?" she asked, but her voice was barely audible, even for a vampire.

"I made you forget something," he continued, there was no coming back, and he just hoped he wouldn't lose her because of it.

"When?"

"After we rescued you from Elijah," he confessed.

"Why?" she weakly, allowing the tears to follow.

"Because I didn't want to hurt you," he said, reaching for her hands, holding them on his, and pleading with her for her to believe and forgive him, even if he didn't say those words.

"Why have you never told me?" her voice cracked, and her tears intensified. This couldn't be happening, especially something that happened so long ago. He had plenty of time to confess what he did. She felt like all the progress they made, all the progress she made to trust him was undone with just a couple of words.

"You need to understand, it was for your own good," he continued to plead, but she couldn't stop her heart from breaking.

"Answer it, damn it," she said through clenched teeth, releasing her hands from his hold.

"I already said it, Elena, because I didn't want to hurt you. I knew you would be hurt when I admitted it," he said, and he knew his reasons weren't good enough. He had been a coward, but how was he supposed to say he once compelled her without mentioning what he erased? And how could he admit that he once said he loved her, if the reason why he did it was because he didn't want her to deal with his feelings when she already had so much on her plate? Only a few weeks ago he had hope that she would ever feel the same way, and those hopes had soon vanished. Then just three days ago they finally admitted their feelings, but while his mind was thinking of ways to get the two of them out of this gory place they were in, he didn't even remember what he did in her bedroom that night so many months ago.

"And still you did it, and still you said I could trust you," she stood up, looking more broken than he could remember ever seeing her.

"Elena, please," he said coming closer to her.

"Get away from me," she said.

"Elena…" he tried again, but it was to no avail.

"No, Damon," she said turning on her heels, and for a moment the pain of his betrayal fogged her thoughts, and she forgot where she was. She didn't even realize it when her feet guided her outside the house, instead of their shared bedroom.

She slammed the door, getting Sage's attention, who was upstairs in her room. She didn't hear their argument, because the library wasn't close to her bedroom, but the front door was just under her window. But when she casually looked outside, curious to see who could be leaving the house now, she cursed under her breath, seeing Elena crossing the street.

* * *

><p>The moment Elena stepped outside she was reminded of where she was. She just bumped into one of the zombie's, a child that was too young to be submitted to that brutality. The little girl didn't show any reaction, except from falling on her back, not even bothering to cry from the impact. Elena was overwhelmed by Damon's distrust, but much more by the girl.<p>

"I'm sorry," Elena muttered, but the girl didn't show any reaction. She just stayed on the grass, looking blankly back at Elena.

The brunette reached for the child's hand to help her stand up, but she was met with a coldness not even Damon's skin had. Before she could do anything else, she felt someone sweeping her body away.

"Stupid human," Sage said enraged to Elena, bringing her inside, yelling for Damon after she slammed the door closed.

"Mind keeping your human indoors?" she angrily said to him, as she threw Elena's body against him, but instead of taking shelter in his strong arms, Elena jumped the moment he touched her.

Damon didn't realize Elena had left the house until Sage mentioned it. When she stormed out of the library he didn't think she was going to leave, he thought she was going somewhere else in the house. He decided to give her some time to cool down a little, and through the noise of him kicking and trashing the furniture Sage would kill him for, he didn't hear the front door shut.

But before he could handle with the girl who was avoiding looking at him, the front door opened, revealing a tall, strong, blond vampire. He seemed to be in his mid-thirty years, human wise, and the look he held sent shivers through Elena's body.

"Hello Sage," the visitor saluted, his voice cold and somewhat threatening.

"Gregory," the redhead offered a fake smile. Of course the few seconds Elena stepped outside had been enough for someone to see her.

"It seems like there's new flesh, you know the rules," he looked to Elena quickly, turning to the Ancient swiftly.

"It isn't exactly new flesh. She's a blood companion," the woman explained, without providing much information. She was trying to think fast. How could she explain she had a human, and a vampire she ensured was dead a century ago?

"Whose?" he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Mine," Damon offered from the other side of the room. The older Ancient was so interested in Elena and in Sage's explanation that he never even noticed Damon, although he could sense there were more people in the room. He just assumed it was one of Sage's vampires.

"Weren't you dead?" he asked, looking more suspicious and dangerous than he already did.

"As you can see I'm very much alive… or undead if we keep the semantics right. Maybe you're talking about my twin brother, the other Salvatore?" Damon challenged. He knew Gregory just fine. The blond vampire couldn't stand Sage for some reason unknown to everyone. He always opposed to whatever she suggested in their meetings, and Damon didn't have any doubts he was the one who gave her trouble when she covered his first departure from the dreadful city.

"The brothers turned by the doppelganger?" Gregory asked, examining the vampire closely, Elena momentarily forgotten.

"Yes," Damon confirmed.

"So is your brother dead?"

"That's what I'm here to find out, but I'd say yes," Damon offered, also assessing Gregory's body language closely. It was as if they were about to engage in a fight, while they measured their opponent from head to toe.

"And how do you explain that both brothers ended up here?" but before Damon could answer another question popped in Gregory's mind and he asked it out loud immediately, "So you're the Ripper?"

"You know about the Ripper?" Damon asked really surprised. He knew they had scarce information from the world outside when a new vampire entered the Dark Zone, which wasn't a common occurrence at all. Damon had been only the eighth to ever enter the Dark Zone since it was created eight centuries prior to his first visit.

"We received a new visitant a couple of decades after you—your brother left," Sage quickly corrected her pronunciation mistake.

"Who?"

"Mikael," Gregory offered with a smirk.

"Mikael as in Father Original?" Damon asked surprised by the revelation.

"He had been looking for his offspring all around the world, it took him long enough to check here," Gregory said, already losing interest in Damon, and turning his eyes to Elena again.

The human watched the exchange while she silently prayed for them to escape the mess she created. She looked at Damon and she knew he was taking risks, she could even see a little bit of uncertainty and fear in his eyes, something not even Sage could catch. The other vampire – who she assumed was another Ancient, was creepy, and there was something about his features that gave her a bad feeling. She knew he was bad news the moment he entered the house.

"And how did he leave?" Damon asked, and it took him a pointed look from Sage for him to realize his small slip, "I've heard of him not long ago," he completed, and seeing how Elena was about to throw up, he crossed the room, and stood by her side. For that moment she consciously forgot about their fight, and moving her arms, she wrapped them around his waist, letting his own arm involve her as well. He could see how afraid she was of Gregory, and he wouldn't leave her alone because she was mad at him for his lie.

"He was an Original, there wasn't much we could do about it. He didn't stay long though; he left soon, but had been nice enough to fill us in the latest news in vampire world. You were quite the subject at the end of the twenties and the beginning of the thirties," Sage continued talking while she looked at Gregory's every reaction from the corner of her eyes.

"It still doesn't explain how you coincidently came to same place your brother did exactly a century ago," the male vampire challenged Damon.

"I don't believe in coincidences, and I'm not here by any of it. I came here with a purpose," Damon didn't allow the other vampire to intimidate him. If he thought he was the Ripper, he knew he could play the intimidator card better than Gregory.

"And this is?" the Ancient looked down at the small girl attached to the young vampire's body.

"Mine," Damon said possessively seeing how the man was looking not only on Elena's neck, but her entire figure.

"I actually meant her name," Gregory said, as he approached the couple, standing only a foot away from them.

"Elena," the girl answered quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Elena, as you may already know, I'm Gregory," he ancient said, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Nice to meet you too, Gregory," she barely managed to say.

"So, now that you found out what happened to your brother, what are your plans, Ripper?" the Ancient turned once again to Damon.

"I don't feel like sharing them," Damon simply answered, and Sage widened her eyes. Had the vampire gone crazy like his little girlfriend? Didn't Damon know what the Ancients, especially Gregory, were capable of?

"You know, it's just such a coincidence that when your brother came, Sage had been the first to cross paths with him, and now it's history repeating itself," Gregory turned to the redhead, who had a small, and not very confident smile. Elena shivered at the expression the Ancient chose to use. She knew Damon enough to know he wouldn't let this guy think he was afraid of him. She knew he thought of fear as a weakness, and someone as dangerous as Gregory, would eat someone that showed fear to him.

"Well you saw his human before I did, so it's not that much of a coincidence," Sage offered, trying to sound as confident as possible, but Damon could see through her façade that she was tense.

"What was his name again?"

"Damon," the raven-haired vampire answered. "But that's also the name I go by these days. I left my Ripper days behind me, but they never left me, so when I decided to take my brother's place when he disappeared. We are well known in the vampire world outside, and they knew the Ripper was uncontrollable, a force that couldn't be stopped. So when someone who knew Damon crossed my way, they automatically thought I was him, as I wasn't ripping their bodies apart from hello," Damon said cockily, and Elena could catch a difference in the arrogance his tone carried. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but it wasn't him just being his cocky self.

"It must be really difficult to try to convince people you're someone else when you look exactly like who you don't want them to believe you are," Gregory said, while he walked around Damon and Elena, like a predator walks around its prey.

"There were some differences between my brother and me. Maybe your memory isn't as good as you think it is?" Damon quipped, and Gregory actually stopped frozen at his spot, almost in front of them.

"I do have a great memory, thanks for asking Mr. Salvatore, and except for the hair, I don't see a lot of differences between you and the vampire that came here, and was mysteriously killed," he looked from the couple to Sage, who unlike Damon, automatically took a defensive position.

"Andrew admitted killing Damon, the original Damon, that is," she said, repeating the fact for the thousandth time.

"Andrew could have been easily compelled by any of the Ancients that may have wanted to cover any shady business," Gregory suggested, looking purposefully suspicious as a cynical smirk appeared on his features.

"Damon had been compelled," she crossed her arms against her chest, and forced herself to roll her eyes, as if she was tired of stating those facts again. She couldn't let him be more suspicious than he already were.

"By you…" he said sarcastically.

"Yes, by me, but also by Anthony," she said annoyed.

"Your father…" he quipped, smirking again.

"You know I haven't had a father for nine centuries, Gregory," she offered, almost losing her composure.

"It's no secret to anyone that Anthony sees you as a daughter, Sage," the Ancient shrugged. He loved to see her worked up. It gave him a great pleasure, and she seemed absolutely angry.

"Whatever, I think you have already made the acquaintance you came to do, now if you'll excuse me, I plan to continue to learn what Stefan, Damon or whatever has to say about the external world," Sage said dismissively , while she crossed the room, approaching the silent couple.

"Of course. By the way Sage, when do you plan to let the council know about your guests?" he turned his eyes to the dark haired people.

"Soon, because this time there's some interesting information about the Original family," she sounded interested, which for once was true. Her one true love was awake, and she couldn't wait to find a way to meet him, somehow, though she had been reluctant to let Damon inform Kol of her whereabouts. How could she bring someone she loved so much to a place like that? She was selfish, but that was too much. There had to be another way.

"And why would that be of any interest?" Gregory seemed to drop the sarcastic and threatening façade, and actually looked curious about the information they had about the one family that could do anything to them.

"Well, you'll learn soon, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Sage offered a knowing smile, and a victorious one to, because Gregory would now have to depend on her to find out the information Damon supposedly had to share.

"See you later, Sage, Stefan," he said casually to the two vampires, but went out of his way to greet Elena, and kiss her hand one more time, before finally leaving.

Sage looked through her window and waited until Gregory was finally inside the house across the street, taking a deep sigh of relief, but changing her expression again as she looked at the human in the room.

"That's why Elena, you shouldn't leave the house, under any circumstances. If you want to be stupid and get yourself killed, fine with me, but just make sure you don't cause me any harm. Damon may love you, but I couldn't care less about your pathetic human existence. That guy could come back here at any moment and claim you to follow him to his house and there would be nothing Damon or I could do. Or he could go straight to the other Ancients and let them know I've been hiding a vampire and an human, and while they can't kill me, they can definitely make my life an undead hell. Or maybe they'll just kill Damon, to have rights to claim you as their own. Just know at any moment now they can enter that door and demand you to give them explanations. You better prepare yourself to have a very different sex session. Actually you know what would be just great? If you could control your damned teenager hormones," Sage blew on Elena, speaking low, but her voice was filled with menace.

"Sorry," she said to the Ancient, but she couldn't bring herself to let Damon go, even though he was the last person she wanted to be close to in that moment. But Sage had been clear in her words. Their lives were now in danger because of stupid actions. And she just hoped she hadn't just signed their death sentences.

"Damon, there's nothing else I can do to help you. You should probably use one of those daggers on me, and run while you still have time," she offered, knowing that being put to sleep would be better than facing whatever she knew Gregory was already filling the other in on.

"I won't leave without the weapon," he said determinedly.

"So you have a problem, Damon, because I don't exactly know a weapon to kill Klaus," she said, leaving the room.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks a lot guys for the reviews last chapter. I wanted to address the compulsion since this story started and now I have. DE won't be able to discuss it next chapter, because as you can imagine, they need to leave soon now that other Ancients know about them. And Sage chose that moment so share she doesn't exactly know how to kill Klaus. Let me know your thoughts.<em>

_Thanks a lot to **Daniela** for beta-editing this chapter._

_Have a nice weekend._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	18. XVII

.

**XVII**

* * *

><p><em>"So you have a problem, Damon, because I don't exactly know a weapon to kill Klaus,"<em>

"Sage, come back here," Damon yelled, and in less than a second the Ancient was standing in front of him.

"You do not order me around. I'm the boss here, you may keep the façade with Gregory, actually it's good for you to show you're not intimated by him, but I'm a completely different case. You do as I say, or you deal with the consequences, and you know quite well what those consequences are," she said threateningly and there was no doubt she meant every word she said.

"You could have said three days ago that you didn't know how to kill Klaus, and Elena and I would have left without anybody noticing," he let go of Elena, and took Sage by her collar.

"Bad, bad move, bad boy," the Ancient quipped, turning tables around in a second and throwing him forcefully against the wall, then she started beating him.

"Stop," Elena pleaded, but Sage didn't seem to process the human's words.

"Stop it!" the brunette yelled, it was to no avail.

She looked where Sage took the knife from the day they arrived, and seeing how the redhead wasn't hearing what she had to say, she went to the huge shelf, and opened one of the drawers, taking the biggest knife she found.

She ran to where Sage was already shifting Damon's bones into an unnatural position, and not giving it a second thought, she carved the knife into the Ancient's back. She knew Sage would recover from it within a couple of seconds, so she made sure to aim the most difficult spot for the vampire to reach and remove the blade.

"Elena, get out of here," Damon said through coughs, "but not outside," he completed.

"I knew you were stupid, Elena, I just thought you weren't suicidal," the redhead said with rage, as she struggled to remove the blade from her back.

"Sage, this is my fault, I take full responsibility for everything here, you want to kill someone, kill me," Damon offered, as he moved his bones back to their places, grimacing from the pain.

"The two of you stop. I made a mistake, and if we don't think quickly, there will be consequences to all of us. You may not care about me, Sage, but you care about Damon and you definitely care about Kol. Nobody knows where the Dark Zone is, it could take Kol centuries to find you. He could even give up seeing as no one really knows you're here, and after looking for a while he could just think you're dead," Elena said as she used all her strength to remove the knife from the Ancient's back.

"I know what I did was stupid, I wasn't thinking. But you two aren't thinking right now either. We have to come up with a plan before this Gregory guy comes here," Elena reasoned, and it seemed like the two vampires across from her began to calm down.

"You shouldn't have left," Sage said, regaining some of her composure. She knew Elena was right, but she had to unleash her frustration somehow. She knew she hurt Damon, but she also knew he would recover in a few minutes, especially if he drank a little bit of blood. It was just good old fight.

"We already covered that," Damon defended Elena.

"You shut up, Jerk," Sage retorted.

"I know I shouldn't have, Sage, but now it's too late," she said to the redhead, "Damon, we should probably think of a way to leave. Sage doesn't know how to kill Klaus, the sooner we're out of here, the better," Elena turned to her pseudo-boyfriend and he could see fear in her eyes in a way he had never seen. He didn't need to read her mind to know she was remembering of the shells of humans living outside the palaces, she feared becoming one of those people more than she feared life itself and he knew it.

"We can't raise suspicions against her, Elena, it's not that simple," he said defeated, and Elena was actually surprised he was thinking about the Ancient's well being when he should be thinking of keeping themselves alive. Sage was also slightly taken aback, but she knew Damon was first and foremost an honorable man. He didn't betray his friends, even when they stepped on his toes.

"Damon, you know they'll come here, sooner or later, I'll survive, the same can't be said about you," Sage offered, feeling somewhat guilty for putting them in that position, although she personally did nothing to put them there.

"You should have told me right away you didn't have a weapon to kill Klaus, I told you the main reason I came here was to let you know I released Kol for you, and then to get the weapon," he said defeated tiredly, taking a seat in one of the couches and burying his head on his hands. He tried to think of someway that could get him and Elena out of there without bringing trouble to Sage. Putting her to sleep would be easy and painless, but the Ancients knew the cruelest ways of torture and they saved those techniques for other Ancients who broke the rules. He would never make Sage go through that when she did nothing wrong. But it didn't mean he wasn't frustrated not only for spending four days in that gory prison, but especially for coming back to Mystic Falls without an effective weapon to kill Klaus.

"I don't know what exactly the weapon is, but I remember Mikael saying it only made sense that this place held the one way to kill the Originals, but of course, he didn't elaborate on that," the Ancient offered, and Damon actually looked up from his beaten position.

"So there's a way to kill him here, you just don't know what or where it is?" Elena asked, also hopeful for the first time that day. She couldn't describe how the day started progressing from bad to worse and even worse, but things seem to bright up a little bit.

"Yes, that's why I said we would talk about it later. I was doing some research. I spoke with Anthony, but he also doesn't know what it could be," the redhead offered, feeling also frustrated. She wanted to help her friend more than anything. She had done lot of thinking over the past three days about what she would do about Kol and how she could find the weapon to kill Klaus.

"How long did Mikael stay?" Damon asked, his mind was already rushing with information.

"A couple of days,"

"And when had he mentioned about whatever it is that can kill them," he continued with his questions.

"During the council meeting, he arrived during it," Sage explained, gathering the biggest amount of information from that day so many decades ago.

"But why would he tell you about a way to kill them? Even if he didn't say exactly how, he had nothing to gain letting you know there was a way to kill them to start with and that it was here," Damon reasoned. It didn't make any sense and being the fatalist he was, he was already thinking that Mikael lied purposefully to make the Ancients go crazy looking for whatever Mikael supposedly found in the Dark Zone.

"Did he take anything when he left?" Elena asked, hoping there was any clue about what he saw. She, unlike Damon, really believed there was something that caught Mikael's attention.

"No. He stayed for another day, and left. He spent most of time just filling us in with some things about the world outside. Then he slept at Sheila's, thanked us for the stay, and left the following morning," the Ancient explained, and they stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"It doesn't mean he couldn't have taken it before he left," Elena suggested, but she knew the Ancients probably kept a close eye on him. They knew who he was. Most of them had met Mikael while his family still lived in American territory.

"What did Klaus use to kill him?" Sage asked, feeling stupid for not asking it before.

"I told you, a special stake," Damon offered quietly. His newly found hope was vanishing quickly.

"I know, but didn't he mention what made the stake special?" Sage asked impatiently. She knew it was a stake, but it couldn't be any stake otherwise Klaus would be dead a long time ago. There had to be something about the stake that linked it to the Dark Zone.

"It was the last stake made out of a special tree that was burned when they realized it could kill them," Elena answered when she realized Damon was already frustrated even without having to repeat himself over again and providing information he thought wouldn't help with anything.

"But he made it clear that he was here to kill Klaus, looking for him to kill him. He didn't know until then that whatever it is that could kill an Original was here, so I suppose he already had this weapon you said. He said he'd been looking for Klaus for centuries and that this place was the last one he was yet to look for, he was hopeful Klaus would be here and his pursue would be done," Sage reasoned, and Elena nodded. It only made sense. He wouldn't go around the world trying to kill Klaus if he didn't already have the weapon. He didn't steal it from the Dark Zone. Whatever he saw there could still be there or he could have taken it with him as a backup plan. She hoped it was the first one.

"He carved the stake from the tree before they burned the tree, they didn't want to risk having the humans use it against them, though I suppose they didn't know they could only be killed by a vampire by then. Klaus was a bastard son, fruit from an affair Mama Original had, Mikael had planned his death from the beginning, he just let it go because of his wife, but then he found out bastard dearest killed his mother," Damon explained, and Sage nodded.

"An old vampire coming from the Old World told us about the vampire rule. I think the Originals found out about it a couple of centuries later," Sage clarified, although the information wasn't relevant for them at the moment.

"Where exactly is this meeting?" Elena asked curious.

"At the square,"

"And where is the square?"

"In the middle of the city," Damon answered before Sage had a chance. He knew where Elena was going with it. Whatever Mikael saw it must have been during the meeting, but before he had a chance to link the dots, she provided the whole picture. As if he needed more reasons to love the fierce woman by his side.

"That's it, the tree! It must be here, not the same, but another. We know there's only one way to kill an Original, which is with a White Oak stake, I bet there's a White Oak tree at this square," Elena answered somewhat excitedly. It had to be that, it had to.

"Why didn't you mention the name before? The big tree in the middle of the square, it dates from the time this place was created. All the other plants here grow and die just like they should, and the seeds just create new ones, but that one had been standing there since the city was created," Sage answered with a small smile framing her face. Of course the tree was eternal for some other reason that didn't include harming them.

"You mean the one with the light leaves?" Damon asked, remembering well the resplendent tree. It contrasted with all the other plants in the city, and with everything else around it.

"Yes," Sage confirmed his thoughts.

"That has to be it, I need a branch," Damon said moving to the window to look at the beautiful, colossal hardwood.

"We never knew why, but it burns us whenever we touch it. We just thought it was yet another trick by the witches, we tried to kill it, thinking it was harmful, but it can't be killed. We compelled humans, who aren't affected by it, but they couldn't make a scratch, the thing is as hard as iron," Sage explained, but there was nothing she could say now that would beat Damon's spirit. That was it. The one thing he needed was just a mile away from him. There was nothing that would stop him from getting what he needed.

"I'm human, I don't need to destroy it, I just need to take a branch," Elena offered.

"We don't have time; Gregory is probably with Jerome and Sophia planning a way to kill you both, and to hurt me in the process," Sage said quickly. She wouldn't allow Damon to go to the exact place she knew the Ancients would be going to in a few minutes, if they weren't there already.

"I have to try, Sage," Damon said determinedly.

"I can't help you, Damon. I don't know how Elena could take a branch. We compelled the strongest humans to bring it down, but their axes wouldn't do anything to the trunk," she tried to reason with him, maybe they should try to escape first and come later to steal a branch, when nobody was looking, but going there in that moment was almost suicidal.

"Maybe we could cut the thinner branches," Elena suggested.

"Maybe the ones above the clouds," Damon said still looking at the tree from the window. The tree was very high and it crossed the clouds. The Ancients couldn't trespass the magical barrier, but it wouldn't be a problem to him. Maybe the branches outside the Dark Zone weren't charmed.

"And in this case, we better run, let's go, Elena," he said, before walking towards the front door.

The brunette only nodded, while Sage was lost in her thoughts, wondering what she could do to help them. If they were caught things would become even worse than they already were.

"Sage, thanks for everything. Meet me behind your house, at midnight. I have a plan for us to leave," Damon said, and she nodded, "I'll take our stuff," he said to Elena, who was about to say there was nothing important for them to take with them, that they should focus on getting the branch, but Damon had already left the room.

"I'm sorry for everything I caused, he was the one who compelled me," Elena offered a justification, although she knew it wouldn't be enough.

"He must have had his reasons," Sage offered without any sympathy for the human. She got them in that mess and if Damon died it would be her fault and Sage would take her life away personally. Her loyalties belonged to Damon, not matter how much he loved the brunette. If she got him killed she would have to pay.

"But it hurts just the same, he had months to tell me about it, and he never did, I don't even know what he made me forget," Elena said getting worked up all over again. She didn't feel betrayed by the compulsion itself. She knew Sage was right and he probably had his reasons to do it. She was just hurt he never admitted to it. She didn't need him to tell what he made her forget, she just needed him to admit he did it while he had a chance in all those months.

"It's only fair you ask him to remove the compulsion," Sage shrugged, not really concerned about the small problems Elena decided to focus in a moment like that. Didn't she understand they both could die and whatever he made her forget wouldn't matter if they were dead?

"No, it's only fair I do the same, I have a plan, but I need your help," Elena suggested and to that Sage reacted enraged. Was the human that thick?

"And what do you want me to do? To compel him? My loyalties don't belong to you, Elena, if you want to take revenge than you deserve him even less than I already thought you did. He's the most selfless person for those he loves that, and he doesn't love a lot of people, but you seem just the most selfish bitch I've ever met, you don't deserve his love and you probably don't even know what love is. When you love someone you give your life for them, you don't play stupid games, you just forgive them," the Ancient answered with irritation dripping from her voice.

"You'll agree with me," Elena said, and Sage frowned before the human mouthed to take her somewhere where Damon couldn't hear them.

* * *

><p>"Sage? Elena?" he called when he re-entered the room a minute after they left, and found it empty.<p>

He only took a few minutes to return, where could they be? He took everything he needed to put his plan into action, and replayed his plan in his head to see if there weren't any gaps. Doing what he needed to do for the plan actually took him more time than he needed to take the few items he would be taking now. He left the rest of their items behind him once he was ready to leave. Sage would give it to him when they met later that day.

"I thought I heard someone approaching," Sage offered a few seconds later, when she and Elena re-entered the room.

"We should leave; you go to the other Ancients, while Elena and I take the branch. Go find Sinza and Anthony and as many more as you can. Tell them that you're suspicious about me, that I'm different from other vampires who came here, and that you think I'm trying something," Damon instructed as he handed Elena her backpack.

"They'll ask why I didn't compel you," Sage reasoned.

"And you say I left before you had a chance, that I just kept feeding your information about the Originals, before I staked you and left," he explained, but Sage still thought they wouldn't buy her lies.

"They may be suspicious," the redhead offered. She didn't mind being punished. Elena finally proved she was worthy of Damon's love and she would do anything they needed to leave safely. Going to the tree now was dangerous and she wouldn't allow them to do it.

"Not if this was the stake I used," he handed her a stake involved with some plastic.

"Why is it wrapped?" she asked taking the object he was offering her.

"Because it's filled with vervain," Elena clarified, and Sage actually shivered at the mention of the herb. That could be their destruction, although not the small piece of wood that was covered with the plant.

"It'll burn you, but this way they'll know I immobilized you long enough for me to run away," he said looking sorry for causing her that pain, but he knew that would nothing compared to what she could face had the other Ancients found out about her connection to them.

"Be careful," she said hugging him longingly, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Hugs are such an overrated human thing, Sage, you're better than that," Damon muttered, but Elena knew better. His voice carried some disguised emotion. He wasn't ready to leave his friend behind yet, but they both knew he needed to.

"If I remember correctly craving to be human again was your biggest desire, so you're not one to say such thing," Sage offered, and Elena was actually surprised to hear those words. Damon wanted to be human? She could never imagine something like that. He had always been so proud of his vampire status. He loved the power, the invincibility, the predatory nature. If someone else had said it, she wouldn't have believed them. But this was the woman Damon had a relationship with for ten years, a woman who was truly his friend and the vampire didn't even try to correct her.

"I'll see you at midnight, in your backyard, I'll be outside the barrier," he informed once they broke apart.

"It was nice to meet you, Elena, despite everything that went wrong between us," Sage offered slightly uncomfortable, and Elena actually smirked a little bit. The Ancient was Damon with skirts. The two vampires had a lot in common, and she felt for Sage the same way she felt for Damon.

"Same for me," she changed her smirk into a warm smile.

"Now we should leave, this is already sappy as it is," Damon rolled his eyes, but Elena knew he was right. They had to leave.

"I'll go first, and check if it's clear for you to go," Sage offered before disappearing outside.

* * *

><p>The Ancient looked around to see if there was any unusual movement in the city, but found none. She knew the biggest threat was Gregory, and she went straight to his house to check if he was there, but as she suspected, he wasn't. He must have headed straight to Jerome's or Sophia's. It had been a nice change to their lucky that the other Ancients lived across the city. When she asked the vampires to let their Master know she wanted to talk to him, she came back and informed Damon and Elena they could leave the house.<p>

The dark haired pair didn't waste any time, and having Elena jump on his back, Damon sped away from the house, straight to the square. While Sage was outside he covered the part of his plan that Elena should follow. Although she didn't like it, she didn't have a choice or a better plan. They should just hope for the best.

When Damon jumped on the distinguished tree he could feel his skin burning harder and more painfully than it did when his skin came in contact with vervain. Not even his clothes protected him from the harm caused by the leaves and wood. He could feel his body burning, but he ignored the pain the best he could as he continued to climb, while Elena held his back with force. He was moving too fast, but she could see he was in a lot of pain. He couldn't stop himself from groaning and hissing, and she was just thankful when they finally stopped on a high branch over the clouds.

"Be fast, we don't need much," he instructed, as she moved to the branch there he stopped and sat on it carefully, keeping each of her legs on either side of it. She was careful not to lose her balance because they were many feet from the ground and she could say Damon was not only hurting from the contact with the tree, but it was also weakening him, as he looked paler and paler.

Much to their surprise it had been fairly easy for Elena to cut a few thinner branches from the thicker one she sat on. Nothing happened with her skin, and the branches didn't seem harder than any other tree. While she was struggling with the knife in her hands, using all strength she had, she felt Damon's shaking hands giving her balance. She was using a lot of force and it had led her to lose her balance slightly twice. As much as he was in pain, and feeling tortured by it in that moment, he still was strong enough to hold her still.

In a couple of minutes her little backpack had enough wood to kill Klaus and his entire family if they wanted to. He helped her to hold his back again, and when she was ready he simply jumped from the high tree, trying to avoid the branches and leaves to touch him. Elena felt her heart on her mouth. She trusted him with whatever they were doing, but they were at the least the equivalent of a ten floors building from the ground, and he was weakened by the White Oak. But still they finally landed and somehow he absorbed all the impact, leaving Elena to feel nothing but a small bump.

But the moment his feet were on the grass, he realized they weren't alone anymore. Gregory and his allies were already gathered around the tree and thinking nothing of the pain it would cause him, he jumped on the tree again, resting in one of the thicker branches close to the ground. He didn't want to face them off before taking Elena outside the city, but there was no way they could leave unnoticed, and he also had to make sure it didn't look like Sage knew what he was doing.

"Stay here," he whispered, leaning down for her to sit in the branch, while his skin kept burning.

"Promise not to do anything stupid, I'll come back to get you," he pleaded, and she looked uneasy, especially seeing the small commotion forming under them.

"What if…" she started, but he sealed her lips with his index finger.

"That night… I confessed to you that I loved you. I couldn't hold it back anymore, I couldn't deal with having those feelings inside. But I also knew it wasn't fair to tell you about them. It would be selfish. That's why I compelled you to forget it, but now you can remember it," he said, looking at her eyes while his pupils dilated. Before she could understand his words, his lips brushed hers, and he jumped from the killing tree.

Elena didn't have time to process what he said before her mind was bombarded with information. It wasn't the fact that he had once compelled her that really hurt her. She knew Sage was right. He must have had his reasons, and although it didn't give him a right, she could forgive him for that. What really hurt was knowing that they had come so far together in the past few months. He could have admitted doing it before, especially when she went to him to compel Jeremy to leave. Sometimes the only way to assure someone's safety – like in Jeremy's case – was compulsion. She would forgive him. She even asked him before today about compulsion, and still he lied right to her face, even if he didn't say he had never done it before.

She forgave him for killing her brother, for trying to make her turn against her will, did he honestly think she wouldn't forgive him for compelling her, especially because he made it for her own good? But the moment the memories invaded her mind, all the pain was gone.

* * *

><p>"<em>Cute PJ's,"<em>

"_I'm tired, Damon," she said tiredly when she entered her room finding him there._

"_I brought you this," he showed her the necklace Stefan gave her._

"_I thought that was gone," she said, but he shook his head negatively. "Thank you," she offered honestly, but when she tried to catch it, he pulled away._

"_Please give it back,"_

"_I just have to say something," he confessed, looking suddenly very vulnerable._

"_Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" she asked suspiciously. _

"_Well, because what I'm about to say is… probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life," he admitted, looking more conflicted than she could remember. And she didn't like it not one bit where this was going._

"_Damon, don't go there," she asked knowing it couldn't be good. Images of when he came to her room after running into Katherine immediately flooded her mind._

"_No, I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it. I love you, Elena and it's because I love you that… I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this… I don't deserve you but my brother does," he confessed his feelings, and she could see it in his eyes, in his whole face how much he meant those words._

_He approached her slightly and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he kissed her forehead softly._

"_God, I wish you don't have to forget this," he said while he caressed her face. She was confused, why would she forget this? She knew he felt something for her, and even if she didn't feel the same way, his confession was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. "But you do," he continued, while a teardrop rolled down his face._

* * *

><p>As she relived those memories, tears also fell from her eyes.<p>

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks a lot for those who reviewed last chapter - there weren't many - and to my beta, <strong>Daniela.<strong>_

_xoxo  
><em>

_Babi_


	19. XVIII

.

**XVIII**

* * *

><p>For a moment Elena didn't really pay attention to the commotion going on under the tree she was sitting in.<p>

All she could think were the memories that broke her heart. The look in his eyes while he confessed his feelings, and the way he admitted he didn't deserve her, but Stefan did. Her heart was hurting, and it had nothing to do with the pain his lie caused her. It was his pain that was breaking her apart. For a moment Sage's words also resonated in her head. "You seem just the most selfish bitch I've ever met". Although there was nothing Elena could do about being compelled to forget his confession, she realized how she had been selfish when it came to Damon. She knew his feelings, even before he admitted them and still she had taken advantage of him for so long. She asked him to do things for her when she knew he wouldn't say 'no'. She ignored his feelings, and the pain she caused to him while she paraded with Stefan. That one day, the day they rescued her from Elijah and Rose, she barely acknowledged him, and ran to Stefan, and barely thanked Damon for his part. She rubbed her relationship with his brother in his face many times, even if she didn't purposefully do it. She never went out of her way to prevent him from hurting more. She felt awful, she wanted to slap herself, to inflict on herself the same pain she had inflicted on him.

"I propose a deal," he said while he landed on the grass gracefully, and just then Sage and the rest of the Ancients arrived at the square.

"Careful, he's dangerous, he staked me with this," Sage warned the others, showing the stake Damon had previously gave her.

"And what's so special about a stake, Sage? We can't be killed by wood, you know well," Gregory offered. He knew the man standing a few feet from him wasn't Stefan. As he had suspected all those decades, Sage had fooled him and the whole council and today he would expose her lies to the others, and he would finally take avenge on the woman who despised his love, for a boy that was half his age. It had been embarrassing for her to run away with Kol, but Klaus – who had never approved of his younger brother relationship with the redhead, made sure to turn the jealous man, before leaving their small city behind him. Sage didn't know her parents had promised her hand to him, but still she shouldn't have run away with Kol.

"No, we can't, but that's not just any wood," one of Ancients with Sage offered.

"And what is that?" Gregory asked, but it was Damon who spoke.

"This," Damon said as he took a vial from his pocket, opening it, and drinking from it while his skin burned. He knew it wasn't a good idea after being weakened by the White Oak, but he had to convince them Sage had nothing to do with his plans. "My daily drink for the past few decades," he lied, but he needed to make sure they believed he had been drinking it the whole time he stayed there, and just not then.

"It has vervain," the redhead clarified for those who hadn't figured out yet, vervain wasn't something they saw in the Dark Zone for centuries, some probably forgot about its existence.

"The one and only herb that is such a pain in the ass for vampires. You know it burns like hell, but that's not all it is about," Damon offered arrogantly, as he walked in a circle around them, although he kept a good distance from them. He knew for sure he wouldn't be able to move as fast as he usually did because of the vervain and the lethal wood, and the Ancients were actually much faster than he was, but he had to look threatening, he couldn't be intimidated by them.

"Do you know, Gregory, any of the other properties of this?" Damon challenged, disposing of the empty vial.

"It prevents compulsion," the Ancient answered angrily.

"Good boy, so I only came here because of this tree, and I already have what I came for, so why don't you let me and Elena leave and we'll pretend like this meeting never happened. It was unfortunate I had to meet you and Sage on my way in, but I must say I don't feel compelled to stay in this hell hole," Damon said sarcastically with a victorious smirk on his face.

"You may be the Ripper and people and vampires may have feared you back in the day, but you're still just a pathetic vampire for us," Gregory offered, rethinking his previous ideas. There was no way this was the vampire who came into the city a century ago. Damon didn't have that audacity back then, actually he looked like a scared sheep. As years passed he could see the changes Sage brought into the new vampire's personality, the way Damon was behaving now fit more like the ripper Mikael described than it would ever fit the vampire who Sage enamored herself with. Which made Gregory hate Damon – or Stefan, as they looked the same – that much more.

"And you're such an asshole, that probably loves this place," Damon said before he threw a couple of vervain grenades against the small crowd in front of him, Sage included. The loud explosion finally taking Elena's attention, and bringing her from the self-accusatory trance she was in.

But Damon expected to win for at least a few more seconds, enough to take Elena and run from the city, but a couple of Ancients weren't hit by the grenade and the others were recovering faster than he expected. Elena knew Damon didn't have a chance against millenary vampires, who were stronger than him and weren't affected by vervain as much as normal vampires.

"Damon," she yelled, and looking back at her, he saw a few more grenades with her. He jumped back in the tree, being hurt by its poison, and taking the grenades he threw a few more of them in the Ancients, aiming especially the ones who weren't hit by it. He felt for Anthony, Siza and Sage, but they couldn't be missed to avoid any suspicions.

"I don't think it'll hold back longer, and I'm sure they're willing to hurt a little bit just to come here and catch me. I'm weak, if I try to run, they'll probably catch us, and the more I stay here, the more it weakens me," he said through clenched teeth, as his skin burned.

"I have my crossbow here, in the backpack, the small one that attaches to the wrist. It doesn't produce a lot of speed and strength, but we should try staking them with these branches," she said, knowing he was hurting, but also not knowing what to do.

"Let me try to at least make it sharp," he said taking out a small penknife, before taking the branch. But unlike he expected it didn't burn him. Somehow only the tree hurt him and not the wood taken from it. It made sense as he wasn't burned by the stake Mikael gave him.

"Let me try, maybe a human can kill them," Elena suggested, taking the newly made stake from his hands, and attaching it to the crossbow she had already attached to her wrist.

She was thankful for the many classes she had with Alaric and Damon, and while her aim was not perfect, it was much better than when she started.

The Ancients already recovered from the vervain and they were talking, probably setting up a plan, seeing as no more vervain-grenades were being thrown at them. But what happened next surprised them more than anything.

Elena sent the stake Damon did and it hit one of male Ancients, who was on the floor immediately. She didn't hit his heart, so they didn't know if the wood killed them or not.

Damon had already made three more small stakes.

"Leave, jump to the other side of the tree and leave," she ordered as she took a second stake and aimed another Ancient.

"I'm a vampire, I have a better aim than you, let me do that," he said, although he was barely conscious at that point, the tree was very harmful to him. As he spoke, Elena threw the next stake, and this one didn't miss its target, hitting a female vampire right into the chest. There was a collective gasp from the Ancients, because the moment Mary – one of Gregory's allies – hit the floor she was already dead.

"I did it," Elena celebrated, but when she turned to Damon, she was shocked to see him passed out, the stakes and the penknife lying on his lap. The many branches were still burning his skin and at some points she could already see his bones, as the flesh had been totally burned over them.

"Back off if you don't want more of you to be killed, we'll give you ten seconds to run to your castles and do not leave!" she yelled at the Ancients that could see her through the branches, but couldn't see Damon clearly.

"A vampire and a human won't scare us," Gregory yelled, totally unaffected by his friend death.

"Mary just died!" Sophia said painfully.

"They have to die," he said, but in that moment another stake flew this time hitting Anthony's leg. Elena could barely hold the stake as her entire frame shook. Damon had been able to do five stakes before he lost consciousness, and she had to make better use of the other four.

"I'm out of here," Sage said, taking Anthony in her arms, with the help of Siza.

"We're weakened by vervain, Gregory, they're in a tree full of lethal weapon against us, let them leave!" Jerome said, taking Mary's body away with him. Sophia followed him and one by one the ancients left, leaving only him behind.

"I'm not afraid of you Ripper, and I'll have a great time draining your human," he said loudly.

Elena used another of the stakes, but Gregory moved away from it. He had a good view of the human and she knew there would be no way she would hit him again. Seeing the penknife in Damon's lap she didn't think twice before using it to open her wrist and move it to his mouth.

"Drink, Love, please, Damon. Wake up," she whispered between tears. Damon's back was turned to Gregory, who probably had a good view of his exposed flesh, but he couldn't see Elena was feeding Damon.

She closed the penknife and took Damon's body over hers, to prevent him from hurting his back. His legs were also burning, but slower, because of his jeans. The tree didn't burn the fabric, but burned his skin through it.

"So it seems like the great Ripper isn't that much of a terror," Elena heard Gregory's voice and much to her despair, he was also in the large branch with them. She noticed the vampire was much less affected by the leaves than Damon was, and although he was burning, it wasn't as much as Damon.

"I have three more stakes," Elena said holding Damon closer against her body, while her blood dripped on his mouth. She made a major cut, because she knew he wouldn't be able to suck at first, and she was losing blood quickly. She was in a lot of pain, and already feeling weak, but if they had to die, they would die together.

"And what human could go against me?" he laughed sarcastically.

"Maybe not much, but I'm sure I'll make some damage," said Sage behind him, but before he could react he felt the sting pain of wood entering his body and then he felt nothing.

"Sage…" Elena cried, as she held Damon.

"I used the stake that hit Anthony,"

"Tell him I'm sorry, I didn't know who he was," Elena cried, and she felt like she was close to passing out too.

"I can't move you out of the city. Although everyone is inside, their eyes are here, I came by Siza's house, the one behind the left side of the tree, that's why no one saw me,"

"Take him there, he's hurting, I'm okay, no one will come here, I'll wait for him here,"

"Are you sure, Elena?"

"Yes, if someone comes I'll deal with it. He won't die, but he's too hurt, please Sage, take him with you,"

"I'm not strong enough to take both of you, but I could ask Siza to come here and take you too,"

"No, I'll wait for him, go you're already starting to look paler too," Elena said, and then she realized Sage's wounds were progressing faster than Gregory's.

"Go, take him!"

"What about your wrist?"

"Could you…"

"Sure," Sage said moving to bite her own wrist.

"No, please, I'll take his, just a little bit, if I die and turn, I want to turn with his blood in my system," Elena said, and Sage only nodded, biting Damon's wrist instead.

Elena drank from his blood quickly, but she could barely feel the taste of his blood, as her tears mixed with the red liquid. "I love you," she muttered against his wrist, kissing it, before she stopped drinking.

"I'm already healing," she stated.

"It may take him some hours to wake up," Sage stated.

"Just go, before you pass out too, I'll be fine," Elena offered bravely, but inside she was breaking apart.

"See you soon, Elena," the Ancient offered, taking Damon in her arms, and jumping to other branches, until she moved to the left side of the tree and ran to Siza's house, hoping no one was looking at that side of the tree.

* * *

><p>Elena didn't know how much time had passed. She didn't have her phone or her watch, but she was sure it'd been at least a couple of hours since Sage left with Damon. As she expected no one left their houses, they were all inside either waiting for her and Damon to leave the house, or feeding on their humans to recover from the vervain.<p>

"Never do that again," she heard the voice she missed so much, but before she could understand what was going on, he was holding her in his arms, and running like a crazy man. She saw just a blur around her, and before she knew it, they were in the woods surrounding the city.

"How are you?" she asked as soon as he moved her to stand on her own feet again.

"Are you crazy, Elena? You could have died!" he said angrily.

"What was I suppose to do, Damon?"

"You should have let me handle them, they didn't even know you were there," he said pacing by her side.

"But then they would have killed you!"

"Sage would have taken you to the border of the city later!" he exclaimed, and she could see he was terrified.

"If you died there, I would have died with you,"

"This is craz…" he started, but she interrupted his words with her actions.

"I've never been so afraid in my life," she cried, and he felt her arms wrapping him, and he could feel her body shaking, "You had so many wounds, you passed out and then, then he was there with us too," she sobbed, holding him closer.

"That wasn't wise, Kitten,"

"Just hold me, Damon and take me home," she whispered. His body was fully recovered after three hours and a half, and a lot of blood, and as far as he could say, her wrist had completely healed too. But even if their bodies were okay, they were both spent emotionally. Any of them, or probably the two of them could have died today, and that really made his emotions messy. But they didn't die, and he was going to do just what she asked because that was what he needed as well.

He took them to his car that was still parked where he left it a week ago, just by the woods, and driving them, he stopped by the small hotel they found in the city, that while wasn't big, wasn't that small. There was even a hotel in addition to a bed and breakfast and a couple of motels. He checked in for one room and didn't really care if she wanted separate rooms after their fight earlier in the day. It seemed like an eternity ago, but he knew she was upset because of his compulsion.

They entered the room and as much as she wanted to take a shower, Elena didn't have the strength for that, so she just asked him to hold her while she slept.

* * *

><p>She slept until the beginning of the night and Damon had slept through most of it as well, as he was still recovering. His wounds had healed, but he was still tired and sore.<p>

She woke up, but they were silent. The air around them could be cut with a knife, but she knew they couldn't postpone it anymore.

"Damon, we need to talk," she said, but he completely ignored her words.

"I'm tired," he said honestly.

"You said to remind you to always talk to me when I want to talk… Let's learn from our mistakes here, Damon," she said softly. She was worn out by the day's events, but she wanted to set things right with him as soon as possible.

"I'm not good at discussing relationships, Elena, let alone non-existent ones," he sighed.

"Even before you gave me back my memories, I was never hurt because you compelled me. It may say a lot of things about me, but I trust you even with my mind. If you were the only vampire around me, I would never ingest one ounce of vervain again," her thumb stroking his hand tenderly, as she started the conversation he was dreading.

"Letting them know about your presence in the tree was really stupid, Elena. We could both be dead right now," he answered, ignoring her admission. He didn't actually buy her version. She was pretty hurt when she left. She couldn't convince him otherwise now, but he didn't want to start another fight.

"I'm not discussing my actions, Damon. I wouldn't let you die, and I'm not talking about what happened today. It hurt me a lot to know you hid the truth from me," she offered, and he nodded. At least she was admitting that something actually hurt her.

"I thought we made so much progress in the past few months. We've been friends for a while, but only recently we became really close. You were the only person I had and trusted for months, Damon. I even asked you if you compelled me, and while you didn't bluntly lied and said 'no', you still didn't admit doing it," she explained and although he was trying to follow her, he honestly didn't.

"I just expected you to admit you did it, if not while we became closer, then when I admitted loving you back. You didn't need to tell me what happened. I trust you enough to know you did what you needed to do to help me somehow. But knowing you hid it from me, makes me question if I should really trust you as blindly as I do," she offered, and waited for him to say something. His reaction to her words was immediate.

"I would never hurt you, Elena, I would never do anything that could bring you any sort of pain. I would die protecting you," he answered defensively.

"And I know that. But let's take the supernatural world out of the equation and be like a normal couple. How can I trust you to be honest with me if you keep such big things from me?" she said, moving her hand to touch his face. He looked so vulnerable, so innocent. It was almost as if looking at him when he was sleeping. It was impossible to think of him as a vampire when he looked so pure. There wasn't a moment Damon looked more like Damon, the man, rather than Damon, the vampire, than when he let his walls down, and just handled his emotions.

The moment he felt her touch, he closed his eyes. At least she wasn't yelling at him. Actually she had a point. He could have admitted compelling her once, and assuring one day he would either tell her about it or remove the compulsion. But it had been less than a week since they finally talked openly about their feelings, six days since she admitted how she felt. Since she admitted wanting to give him a chance, to give them a chance when the time was right.

"I can only apologize, Elena," he whispered, his eyes still closed.

"And promise to never lie to me again. We agreed about having no limits to make sure the other is alive, but there's also the normal aspect of our relationship, Damon. We're a couple like any other couple in the world. Supernatural or not, there are some rules that are universal, you don't lie to the person you love, especially not about something as serious as stealing a memory away from them," she offered, cupping his face with both her hands.

"We aren't exactly a couple," he offered, looking serious, and without any defense mechanism. He came to terms that she would be his someday, and he only had to wait. He'd waited months, why couldn't he wait a little bit more?

"Yes, we are, Damon. I agree with you that the Dark Zone is like an alternative universe; that things there could never compare to what they are like outside. I bumped into a little girl on my way out of the house today… her face, her skin…" she started, and he promptly brought her to his arms, wrapping them around her shaking form, and kissing her hair.

"I will regret bringing you there for the rest of eternity," he whispered as he held her closer, trying to stop her crying.

"Maybe… I know what I said… but those things…" she said between sobs.

"Just give me the word and I'll do it," he assured her, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I need the vervain out of my system, I don't think I can handle a night out of that place without carrying it with me," she broke the embrace, looking at him as the streams of tears ran down her face.

"I'm sorry, Elena, for everything," he offered, tugging a strand of loosen hair.

"Promise me you'll never lie to me again?" she asked, noticing he didn't agree to it the first time. She knew she could trust whatever he said, but for some reason she needed to hear the actual word.

"I promise," he answered, without showing any reluctance.

"Thank you," she whispered, before moving closer to him and kissing him softly and longingly. As the kiss progressed the tears stopped spilling from her eyes. She could breathe normally again, everything between them was settled.

"I remember," she said quietly once they broke apart.

"I know, I was there," he offered with a lopsided smile.

"You deserve me, Damon," she said, feeling her eyes wetting again, now for completely different reasons.

"Actually I don't, Elena. You don't deserve to be surrounded by vampires, to go to places like the Dark Zone, to have maniacs threatening your life, or have your boyfriend killing someone innocent," he offered, looking away slightly, but her hands, that were still on his face, brought his beautiful eyes to look back at her.

"You don't kill innocent people anymore," she offered, caressing his cheek lightly.

"But I'm a vampire, Elena! I'm fighting against my nature everyday to be the person you want me to be," he said through clenched teeth, even closing his eyes as he spoke. Elena was actually surprised by the sudden show of aggressiveness. They were sharing just a tender moment and all of sudden he felt tense under her touch and she could feel the anger unfolding from him.

"I don't want you to be anyone else, Damon. I already told you that," she tried to reassure him, her hands still on him.

"But what will you do the day I just can't help myself and drain a young woman?" he asked, and the anger was gone just like it came. The only emotion filling his face now was sorrow and sadness.

"Why would you kill someone, Damon?"

"Because I'm a monster, Elena. You deserve better than a monster," he said, standing up and crossing the room, keeping his back to her while he looked through the window.

"No, Damon, you don't kill because you're a monster. You have control over your bloodlust better than any vampire I know, that's not why you kill," she said, reaching for him and holding his hand.

"I don't want to go there," images of the night he killed Jessica drowning his mind, while he looked absently to the horizon. It was a beautiful evening. There were many stars in the sky, the new moon just a thin line in the dark night.

"You said you trusted me," she squeezed his hand. She knew exactly what led him to kill. She knew what caused him to lose control and she promised him and herself to help him get over it. She promised she would fix him, and she would start in that moment.

"I do," he whispered quietly.

"So let me help you, Damon, why do you kill?" she asked despite knowing it. She knew she had to give him the chance to confess his sins, to face his demons.

"Because it's part of my nature," he half-lied, half-admitted the truth.

"But you have total control of that part of your nature," she stated confidently.

"But it's exhausting, Elena. I can only control it for so long and then there are all sorts of emotions inside me. I can't keep fighting both things and keep winning both battles," he finally looked away from the peaceful scenario back to her beautiful face. Elena was actually surprised to see his eyes glossing with unshed tears. As much as it hurt to know he was in pain in that moment, it also made her heart skip a beat. She had never seen so much emotion in his face. He was so vulnerable and exposed and suddenly Sage's words resonated in her head.

"I'm here to help with your emotions, remember? I'm not going anywhere. Maybe when I ran today I gave you the idea I was abandoning you. I just couldn't face you in that moment, but I never planned to give up on you because of that. Nothing you do will ever take me away from you. I may run sometimes, when it's too much, I may want to be alone, I may do stupid things, but I'll never leave you," she said, holding both of his hands, looking vulnerable as well.

"When I can't handle the humanity, the emotions, I just can't stop myself from being reckless. You've been in the receiving end of my inability to feel many times, Elena. You probably know better than anyone how I just lose it," he confessed brokenly, and just like that a single tear broke through his shimmering eyes.

"Is what Sage said true?" she asked softly, barely holding her own tears back but that was his moment. She should encourage him to admit his issues, to allow himself to feel and to lose control. She was there for him, she wouldn't allow him to leave and do something reckless. She would hold him, she would wipe his tears, she would hug him and kiss him, and hold him until he felt things were okay. She would be there with him and for him, the whole night if they needed to, and go back to Sage any other day.

It took him some time, but they both knew what she meant. They both knew what she was talking about. He didn't elaborate, just nodded his head affirmatively.

"You're not a monster; you're the man I love," she said hugging him tight.

"That's the problem, Elena, I'm not a man," he said quietly, actually hugging her back, as he rarely did when she was comforting him, and not the other way around.

"Yes, you are. You may have become a vampire, you may have another nature that easily dominates your old one, but you didn't completely die as a man, Damon. Your heart, not the one that doesn't beat like it used to, makes you somewhat human. No matter what witches, vampires, or people say, you still have a soul," she offered, as they still held each other.

"You have no idea how it feels," he confessed weakly.

"Explain it to me," she encouraged, deciding to continue holding him. She knew it would be easier if he didn't have to face her and she hoped their embrace would help him to be at ease.

"There are so many things I don't want to do, but they're like a weak voice in the back of my mind. They keep screaming at me to not kill anyone, they keep shaking the depth of my soul. But those voices, even my soul, are just a blur, a long, distant blur that I can't reach anymore. All I can think is how much I need blood, how much I actually want blood, and when I kill someone… even when I don't need to… when I do it… there's a satisfaction inside of me that I can't explain and that I can't rub off. I feel like those little voices in my head just become sadder and weaker as time passes and after a century and half doing it, I feel like they gave up on me. I feel like my soul gave up on me," he admitted, confessing his deepest feelings and fears while she held him in her arms, supportively.

"Oh, Damon," she said, not strong enough to say anything else, but somewhat finding strength to hold him closer and tighter.

"I need you to promise something," he said after a few minutes, breaking their long hug, but her hands still rested absently in his waist.

"Anything," she agreed before knowing what it was.

"I don't want you to ever turn, Elena. I don't want you to go through those things. Promise me you will never ask anyone to turn you," he said looking deep in her eyes. She could see a lot of emotions in his eyes. The overwhelming vulnerability and the deep pain he felt were still there, but there was also determination and love.

"What do you mean?" she broke the contact between their bodies abruptly.

"That we can be together, for as long as you want me. I don't mind if you get old and wrinkled. I can hide in your attic if you don't anyone to say you're a cougar dating a guy in his twenties, I will be with you for as long as you want me. But I won't ever turn you. I'll watch you die, even if I don't know how I'll survive when you finally pass, but I can't be with you if you become a vampire, I just can't," he explained, and she actually stepped away from him. She was shocked by his words, but also hurt. She had never given much thought to turning. She was adamant at staying human, but ever since she found out her blood was the key for Klaus to create hybrids, and that if she ever had kids, she would be transferring it to another generation; she started wondering if turning wouldn't be the ideal solution. As much as she didn't want to give up on her humanity, she wouldn't inflict the curse onto someone else. She was still hopeful they would kill Klaus, now more than ever, but even when turning was never an option, especially not one linked to romantic feelings, it still hurt to know he was giving up on her somehow.

"Promise you won't look for someone to turn you, I'll never do it, Elena, but I need to know you won't do it by yourself. I can't make you have this life. You don't deserve it. It's a curse for a reason, it's difficult, and it only gets worse as time passes. Your name means light and it's so appropriate, and there should never be any dark in you," he explained, stroking her face, and looking at her with admiration and adoration. But she couldn't bring herself to utter any words. How was she supposed to make such an important promise?

"I love you too much to make vampirism your fate, we'll find a way, maybe an anti-aging spell like Gloria did. I don't know, we'll do something or we'll do nothing, we'll just enjoy our years together. That's life's course, Elena. The Originals messed everything up, but a person should only live one life. Please, do it for me, put my heart at peace," he continued his speech, and while he was talking about love, her heart still broke knowing the chance of spending many centuries with him was being taken away from her, even if she didn't want it herself. It was hard to explain how she felt. It was contradictory and painful, but when she looked at his eyes, the way they pleaded for her to just say those words. She knew she owned him that and he was right after all, everyone else she knew would live with their loved ones for a few decades and that would be it. That was life's course indeed, so she nodded her head, quietly, silent tears streaming down her face.

"I promise," she whispered.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the delay. Many reasons: holidays, guests staying in my house, but mainly FF being a pain. I've been trying to update it since yesterday, but nada.<em>

_Well, there are so many things in this chapter. We learn yet another of Klaus' acts, why Gregory hates Sage, we see how they leave the city of hell and we have a very emotional conversation. I never planned to write Elena as Bella (or whatever her name is), sacrificing her humanity because of a guy, but I also think it's only reasonable and the natural course of things if as YEARS pass (which is my main problem with Twilight) the idea comes more and more attractive. If love lasts, that could become a viable possibility. So I wanted to show that Elena was already aware of someday ever changing her mind, but I mainly wanted to explore Damon's side of the story. He made it because of love, and although his love for Kat didn't come to fruition it still allowed him to meet Elena. One could say that was enough reason for him not to regret that. Even if he says that someday in this fic - or had said - deep down he knows it doesn't. At least for my Damon, no love in the world makes up for the bad side of vampirism.  
><em>

_Something VERY important in this chapter as well is Elena's position towards Damon's lack of control when his emotions take over. This chapter has been written for a few weeks (most of it). That's how I write, I work in the main conversations and narrations, and later I just fill up with details. Having the chapters written so beforehand usually gives extra work to my betas. This one (and the previous) caused because after Daniela started working on it, I've changed the action part of the chapter last week. But my point is, even before Elena spoke one of the lines that will always make me hate her a little, I already had made up my mind that my Elena would never use Damon's weaknesses as an excuse not to be with him or just throw it in his face. My Elena won't ever say he sabotages himself, or that he completely loses it when he lashes out. No, she'll be there for him when he does it and I plan to write her doing exact that at least once until this story is over.  
><em>

_Let me know your thoughts guys! I'll never negotiate chapters for reviews, but they do make happier and more excited to write :P Thanks a lot for those who have been reviewing and a special thanks to my beta, **Daniela.**  
><em>

_****After this testament all I have to say is Amen. No wrong place, I meant xoxo  
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_Babi  
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	20. XIX

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**XIX**

* * *

><p>They spent the last couple of hours lying on the bed, his arms wrapped around her small frame, while she rested her face on his chest.<p>

She should be relieved he was opposed to her turning into a vampire. The few times she let herself think about what their relationship would be like when she started to get old. She thought she would be hurting him by not saying she would never turn, but it turned out she was the one hurt by the decision of her staying human. Probably because she was taken away the choice and if she was being honest with herself, and she knew it would become harder and harder for her to keep her decide as the years passed. Not only would she start to look older than him at some point, but she knew if their love progressed as she thought it would, she would actually be tempted to give up on being human just to be with him forever.

"How old were you when you turned?" she asked, as the clock on the wall showed it was just past eleven and they would have to leave in a few minutes.

"Twenty-four," he answered quietly.

"When is your birthday?" she continued with the twenty-questions. Suddenly she wanted to know more about things he shared with his human self.

"October thirty-first," he said, not knowing why she was asking these questions all of sudden.

"Halloween? That's ironic," she smiled, but then something occurred to her. "It's been your birthday twice since we met, and you never mentioned it," she commented.

"The first time around you were too busy hating me," he smirked, "And the second time you were too distracted with my brother's actions," he completed.

"You should have mentioned it. Stefan should have mentioned it," she added, feeling guilty she had never asked it before.

"What difference would it make?" he shrugged, and she knew it wasn't that simple. Damon had been deprived of so many things in the many decades he lived as a vampire. She had a feeling those small human things would make a difference for him. Especially if people showed they cared about him. She was getting closer and closer to his heart, and she knew, although he would never admit it, that he wanted those small normal little things more than any other vampire.

"When was the last time you celebrated it?" she asked, curious to know.

"I don't remember. Before Stefan was born," she felt him shrugging again, and her heart ached for him. As futile as celebrating a birthday was, she felt like Damon had been loved and celebrated so little in his very long life. She wanted to make it up for him.

"That's awfully long ago," she commented, but he didn't say anything.

They were silent for a few more minutes, before he checked the clock, and kissed her hair, "I should go," he offered.

"I'm going with you," she said, standing up from the comforting position they were.

"Elena…" his voice was warning.

"Damon, it'll be only Sage, I want to know if she's okay and how things went," she answered, and he actually looked at her with his eyebrow quirked.

"And why can't I fill you in when I come back?" he questioned.

"I don't want to be alone," she admitted, looking away slightly.

"Elena…" his tone was now tired.

"You can compel me to forget the city tomorrow, I won't see any human from her backyard, please, Damon," she pleaded. She didn't want to stay away from him more than necessary and there was no need for him to go alone when she would stay in a hotel room all by herself.

"It's cold outside, you don't even have a coat," he remarked, and she knew it was already chilly.

"I'm sure you can keep me warm," she offered a cute smile, and he immediately knew he was a goner.

"I don't want you to get sick, it's winter Elena, even in Louisiana it's cold," he tried to argue back, but he knew it was a lost battle.

"I'm going," she said simply.

"You're one stubborn lady," he smirked.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," she smiled, throwing her arms around his neck and bringing him down for a kiss.

* * *

><p>It took them twenty minutes to finally reach the back of Sage's house. They waited at the edge of the invisible barrier that prevented the Ancients to leave and just five minute later Sage appeared, holding a lamp to light up the darkness, and some other stuff in her other hand.<p>

She looked awfully pale, and scars all over her face. Damon thought it was odd because he expected them to have been completely healed after many hours.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, when she saw Damon hardening his jaw. He was mad at himself for hurting Sage like that.

"I couldn't prevent the vervain to hit you; they had to believe you didn't know anything," he offered, deciding to step into the city.

"That's not what hurt me, Damon," she offered quietly, "Here," she handed him something heavy, wrapped on some sort of fabric, "It doesn't burn once it's ripped from the tree, I guess the spell is just to protect the tree," she completed, and he was shocked to find more of the White Oak tree in the package.

"Sage," he said feeling bad about it.

"Don't want to run out of wood, do you? Here is your belongings," she said taking the two bags from the ground, "But I kept the blood bags, I'm not that noble," she smiled weakly.

"What do you want me to do about Kol? We haven't had time to talk about it," he moved to one of the subjects he wanted to discuss with her.

"Why do you ask?" she asked weakly. She had written a letter that she was going to ask him to deliver to Kol for her.

"I can't see you inflicting this place to the man you love," he said, pointing to the city behind her.

"Does your cell phone still have any battery left?" she said, remembering the small device she had seen in so many commercials on TV.

"I don't think so, why?" he frowned. His cell phone was the least of his concerns when he left the hotel earlier and when he came back and had the emotionally changed conversation with Elena, his head couldn't be farther from it.

"Would you come back tomorrow, at about midnight with a full battery? The ads on television say you can record me, or something like that, I'd like you to deliver him a message for me," she said, although she was going to ask him to deliver the letter as well.

"He could compel me to tell him where you are," Damon argued. If the Original was as in love as Sage was, he knew Kol would take great lengths to be reunited with her again.

"I don't think you'll run out of vervain," she answered back.

"He could hold me captive until it leaves my system," the male vampire said, and Sage knew that was quite possible.

"Do you trust me to compel you to forget about this place? Actually this is something I should have done the first time around," she looked at him, and then briefly at Elena behind him. The teenager was giving them space to say farewell to each other.

"Of course I trust you," he admitted, and Elena still found herself being surprised at how different Damon acted when he was around Sage.

"So do it for me, and for you… you know Originals and Ancients compulsion can't be removed except if they do it. Not even death can remove it," she said looking at him knowingly, and then nodding her head slightly towards Elena, although the human couldn't see the redhead in that moment.

"We'll be back tomorrow," Damon simply said, before taking his bags from the ground, and turning around, holding Elena with his free arm, while she held the package with the wood. He didn't say another word to the Ancient before he sped away from the woods.

* * *

><p>It took them a little longer to come back, but in less than thirty minutes they were entering the hotel bedroom again.<p>

Elena was hungry, and decided to go with room service. Not that they would find any other option almost one in the morning. The hotel didn't have many options but some bread and ham would do it.

They didn't exchange a lot of words. They were both really tired, and Elena was disappointed they would have to wait another day before they could head back to Mystic Falls. She just wanted everything about the Dark Zone to be completely erased from her mind.

"Did you mean it earlier?" Damon asked, after she finished her food, and joined him on the bed.

"What?" she said as she curled into his side, resting her head on his chest.

"That we are in a relationship?" he asked smirking, but she knew he was being dead-serious.

"Of course I did. A place like that… it changes your perspective in life. I know I'm even more damaged then I was when I came there, but we love each other. We are both a mess, but at least we'll be a mess together. I thought our terrible emotional condition could create a problem that would break us apart, but after everything… after spending just a week with you, without resisting, without pretending, I just know nothing will break us. For as long as you want me, I'll be yours," she said, remembering his words from earlier as well. The promise she made would haunt her thoughts for a very long time, she knew for sure. She knew he was looking out for her, he was sparing her from a terrible life, but still she was somewhat hurt by his admission of letting go at some point.

"So what am I now? Your boyfriend?" he arched his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes, you are," she smiled.

"Good, because it means I can touch and kiss you whenever I want without thinking I'm being inappropriate or crossing any lines," he said turning her in his arms, positioning her over his body.

"You do realize in the last few days all we do is touch and kiss, right?" she giggled, as he buried his face in her hair, taking in her delicious natural scent.

"Trust me, Babe, you saw nothing," he winked before kissing her passionately. They didn't start a heavy make out session because they were too tired for that, but mainly because Damon wanted to give her space. They never touched the subject of sex, and the lack of mention told him she wasn't ready for it.

* * *

><p>It was past ten the following morning when Elena finally woke up. She was the first to wake up, and not wanting to wake him by detaching her body from his, she laid there for over thirty minutes watching him sleep. She loved to do it, it was creepy, but he was so different when he was sleeping. In that moment he was to anyone's eye what he always was to hers. That was how Elena saw Damon all the time and she was more than convinced that choosing to be with him now was the right decision.<p>

All her fears about losing him because they were both damaged were out of the window when they went through their first crisis. She was still hurt by his lie over the compulsion, especially because she had always trusted him more than anyone else, to be honest with her. Even when she was running out of the house, in pain and disappointed, it never crossed her mind that she wouldn't want to go back to him. It made it difficult for her to face him at that moment, but she knew in a couple of hours, if she wasn't in the place she was, she would have turned to him to talk. Nothing could ever break them apart and that realization was just too sudden, like everything else in their new relationship. She couldn't understand how things were progressing so fast, but after repressing her feelings for so long what did she expect? And that was the biggest difference between Damon and Stefan. While she started dating the younger brother five minutes after they met, with Damon she built a deep connection with before they started a relationship. She felt her feelings for him were as sudden as the ones she felt for Stefan, but that was a lie. Her feelings for Damon progressed in the course of one year, to say the least. The romantic feelings were younger, but still they had been nurtured for months prior to their relationship, and they were stronger than ever. She didn't feel insecure, she didn't feel afraid, she just felt more and more in love with him as each minute passed.

"I'd stare as well, this is a deliciously hot body," he smirked, his eyes still closed.

"Cocky!" she said slamming his arm.

"That's how I wake up every day darling, my body functions just like any other guy's," he winked while she positioned herself over him. She immediately blushed at his implication. She didn't mean it like that and she was sure he understood what she meant, but she loved his wit.

"Way to make the girl uncomfortable," she said before kissing him softly, "Good morning, how do you feel this morning?" she completed, avoiding letting her body touch certain parts of his. His warning had been enough, and she could even see the bump in the bed sheet.

"A boyfriend, I feel like a happy boyfriend," he admitted, with a silly smile in his face.

"We should explore the area, it seems like a pretty place," she offered.

"Really? What's pretty about it?" he quipped.

"Well, maybe it's my eyes," she smiled softly.

"Tell me we won't be the sappy couple. I have a reputation to keep," he rolled his eyes before attacking her neck with kisses.

That was something special about kissing her when he wanted, where he wanted. There were so many times he had died to touch her in an intimate way. His body had craved for her skin, but he had to keep it under control. He didn't have a right back then. They'd been reliving the day he compelled her since they left the Dark Zone. That had been one of the many days he wanted nothing more than to touch her. When they finally rescued her from Elijah, she ran into Stefan's arms, not his. Then when he finally admitted loving her or when she woke up after Klaus killed her, and he didn't know for sure if she was going to hate him forever for turning her, or just hating him forever for attempting to turn her. Then there were the many times they were alone while Stefan was away with Klaus. The many times he wanted to just hold her, he didn't even need to kiss her, but just feel her in his arms.

"Damon?" her voice broke him from his trance.

"What?" he asked looking at her.

"You stopped kissing me and started looking to nowhere for the past minute, what are you thinking?" she asked, pecking his lips quickly.

"Of you, of us, of touching you and kissing you whenever I feel like doing it. I guess that's the best part of being a boyfriend," he admitted, and he sounded almost shy. She thought he looked the cutest she ever saw, and not resisting him, she brought his lips to her to kiss him passionately.

"I thought you would say something completely different," she quipped, offering him a smile after she broke the kiss.

"No, dear, that will be what you will like the most about being a girlfriend," he offered cockily, resuming his kisses on her neck and jawline.

"I really want to see if you are as good as you think you are, Salvatore," she challenged between giggles as he started tickling her in the stomach.

"I'm much better, Baby, you won't want to do anything else in your life," he answered, as he continued to attack her side and flat belly.

"Please, stop," she protested, but it was to no avail.

They played in the bed for longer than thirty minutes, between playful physical fights and tickling sessions – who knew Damon was so ticklish in his feet? But after so much physical activity Elena was breathing heavily, asking for a break for her to recover. "I don't have vampire stamina," she offered with a big smile featuring her face.

"I don't want to leave," she said still recovering her breath.

"Finally we agree this city sucks,"

"Hey, we didn't even explore it, how can you say it sucks?" she protested.

"We covered enough by looking for a place to stay and going from here to the Dark Zone," he offered dismissively.

"It's bigger than Mystic Falls," she offered.

"It doesn't take much for a city to be bigger than Mystic Falls, Kitten," he quipped, and she rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I don't want to leave. I like it. It seems almost… normal," she offered dropping any playful tone in her voice.

"What is normal?"

"Us, playing around, just enjoying the perks of a new relationship, without a care in the world," she said quietly. It was so refreshing to have moments like that in her life. It made her evaluate the choices she'd made for the past year. She was tired of people dying or being hurt around her, especially because of her. That morning with Damon was a breath of fresh air.

"This isn't real life, Elena. We have a lot of troubles to face when we go back," he said, although it hurt him to break her bubble. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to give this one girl a normal life, as normal as it could be dating a vampire anyway.

"That's why I don't want to go back. I like it here, I like being with you, I like not having to worry about my safety or anyone's else," she said, the weight of the world suddenly on her shoulders again.

"You won't have to worry about it when we kill Klaus," Damon offered, noticing how her eyes looked so sad and hopeless all of sudden.

"We don't even know how we're going to kill him. Did you forget it requires a vampire – who will die in the process?"

"I've been thinking… Klaus was able to kill Mikael and he didn't die," he offered, crossing his arms under his head.

"Yes," she agreed, but didn't know what he meant.

"So why couldn't Tyler do the same?" he asked.

"Because he's been sired by Klaus! He would never bring himself to actually kill his sirer," Elena answered, feeling frustrated by only talking about their problems. It seemed like no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't get rid of their enemies.

"Didn't he leave town to break the sire bond?" Damon asked remembering Stefan had mentioned it the day before they left.

"Well, we don't know if he actually did it," she offered. She hated being the Debby Downer, but what was the point to keeping her hopes up about something as improbable as someone breaking Klaus' siring bond?

"Maybe we should call them and check in," Damon offered, standing up to reach for this phone he left charging for the night.

"Can we please, not? I don't want to contact Mystic Falls until we have to be back. We still have three more days. I'm sure Elijah is making sure his brother doesn't kill anyone else while we're away and even if he had killed, or threatened someone, it's not like we can come back any sooner. We need to see Sage at midnight and it takes a day and a half to come back. Out of sight, out of mind," she said, reaching for his hands, preventing him from turning his Blackberry on.

As much as he wanted to disagree he could see how much she needed those three days break before facing all their demons in her hometown.

"Are you sure you don't want me to check with Stefan if everything is under control?" he asked concerned. It wasn't like Elena to ignore her friends' pain like that. They didn't know for sure if they were having any trouble, but they either didn't know for sure if everything was alright. Elena was always so selfless, and put everyone before her. He was surprised by her reaction.

"Then instead of having two and half days of relatively calm, my insides are going to eat me out and there won't be anything to help it. Please, Damon. Five minutes, remember?" she asked, holding his hands, while her eyes pleaded with him.

"Fine," he said kissing her forehead, wrapping his arms around her, and holding her close to him.

* * *

><p>The day passed in a blur. They enjoyed themselves, just like Elena asked him to. They had lunch in a decent restaurant Damon found the previous day, and spent the afternoon in the park, as the city really didn't have anything else for them to do. At night they decided to watch a movie in the only cinema around. Damon actually thought it was a small miracle for such a small town to have its own theater, but he didn't say anything. There were only two movies playing, a cartoon in the daily sessions and the romantic comedy she chose, although Damon would have preferred the cartoon. But this was her five minutes break, and he would do whatever she wanted them to do.<p>

As much as everything in the movie went as the script goes to romantic comedies and they knew the ending five minutes through the movie, it was good to watch Elena laugh and cry freely like that. He found out she cried like a baby over romantic movies while he had always thought it to be predictable and even annoying. But he thought she was cute, for crying in the end, although she knew it would happen.

The light note of their day soon came to an end as they found themselves walking back to the Dark Zone. A day off from their problems wouldn't make them go away, but Elena was relieved to know in a few minutes she wouldn't remember the Dark Zone.

They arrived at the agreed time, and this time, Sage was already there waiting for them. She said she needed them to go inside her house, but they shouldn't be worried, the Ancients were all recluse to their own houses since Damon left the previous day. They were recovering from the vervain and from everything they had learned from Damon.

Damon and Elena agreed, and oddly enough Sage led them to the TV room.

"You look better tonight," Elena offered, and Sage only nodded her head in exchange.

Damon noticed she was quieter than usual and decided to avoid talking much.

"Here," he offered the phone, but she said he could have it, she wanted him to record the video for her.

"Let's start with the compulsions, Elena, you first," Sage offered in a business mode, and Elena actually frowned. She didn't know the Ancient very well, but she looked quite different from the vampire she met a week ago.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked her boyfriend, who nodded before speaking.

"Her compulsion is much stronger than mine," Damon offered. He could read Sage like a book and the previous night when she tilted her head towards Elena, he knew she was offering to compel her too. If with just a little effort, Elena almost broke his compulsion, that although lazy was still too recent, he wondered how long it would take for her to remember what he made her forget even if he put an effort into it. Maybe it was because she was a supernatural creature in her own way and compulsion lasted less for her, or he was just that lazy. Anyway he wouldn't risk her remembering that place in a few years.

"Does she know?" the Ancient asked confused.

"I wouldn't make the same mistake twice, she agreed with it," Damon explained, and the redhead nodded.

"Trust me, Elena, I won't compel you to anything else, but no one should live with the memories of this place, and don't worry I'm not lazy," the Ancient smiled softly. She almost looked like the woman they'd met a week ago, but even Elena could see something was off. Damon thought Sage was just emotional over the video she was going to record for her lover. He hoped that was only it.

"I have almost a millennium on me. My compulsion won't start wearing down any time soon, and it'll never be totally removed unless I do it myself, something I don't plan to do," Sage completed, but Elena was still reluctant. It was one thing she agreed with it when Damon said it earlier, but now, when she actually had to trust her mind to someone that she met only a week ago she felt insecure. Add that to the fact that even in only one week Elena could say Sage was a little bit reckless, unstable and nearly bipolar and she definitely seemed off that night. It wasn't easy to just step forward and agree with that person doing whatever she wanted with you.

"I trust her, Elena," Damon offered, seeing the human's reluctance, and looking at him and feeling him squeezing her hand, she finally nodded.

"The moment you leave this place tonight, you won't ever remember what you saw here. You'll just know you came here, but you won't remember the location or anything else and you will never come back here, not even by chance," Sage said, looking deep into Elena's eyes, and the human just felt like her whole mind had been dominated by the Ancient. She was well aware of the pull the order created in her brain, and it could only be compared to what she felt when Elijah compelled her. Damon's compulsion couldn't compare.

"Thank you," Elena offered, and Sage just smiled.

"Now you," she looked to Damon, who was holding Elena's hand through the ordeal.

"No funny business, Reddie," he smiled, although Sage could see there was a bit of suspicion in his voice.

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Damon, you can trust me," she said, choosing her words wisely.

"But I need a favor," she said and the vampire was alert immediately, but it was already late, because just a second later the Ancient was speaking again, her pupils dilating and Damon couldn't do anything else, "No matter what happens, you won't stop recording my message. You will do it until the end," she compelled him, and he actually frowned, not knowing why she needed to compel him to that. But as he didn't have much of choice, he just nodded, before she continued to compel him. She did exactly as she was asked to, and in what seemed like an eternity for Elena, she finished what she started, and moved to a chair in the middle of the room, to start recording the video.

"Can you also give him this?" she said, handing him an old necklace and a letter.

"Of course," Damon said taking away both objects in his pocket.

"Elena, this is for you," she handed the teenager a letter and something wrapped in an old fabric. The object was considerably large and when Elena finally took it in her hands she found out it was heavy too. "Do as instructed in the letter," she offered cryptically and Elena only nodded. "Don't let anyone else read the letter, not even Damon. You'll know what to do with the package when the time comes," she completed.

"Okay. Thank you… for everything, you helped me more then I could ever ask for," Elena offered and Sage knew what she meant. While Elena had no idea of what she would find in the letter and in the package, the Ancient knew exactly what she was thanking her for. She knew she would thank her even more when she learned what she had just received, but she would never have a chance because that would be the last time she would see Sage. Not only her, but also Damon. The redhead knew she did a good thing even if she would never see her friend again.

It wasn't a long message, five minutes at the most, but both Elena and Damon were shocked by how it went. Those five minutes would change their lives, and that, Sage didn't compel them to forget.

If Elena wanted a three-day break before she faced Mystic Falls, Sage made sure to make it impossible. She and Damon left the city for good immediately after Sage concluded her message, especially because they didn't want to catch anyone's attention. They went back to the hotel, but as Elena expected, Damon didn't stay. He left, and she was just relieved Sage had compelled him to never go back to the city because she knew that would have been his destination if he could go there.

She couldn't sleep, and when he finally arrived at nearly five in the morning, she knew the day ahead of them would be really hard, not only emotionally, but also physically as none of them had any sleep before facing the road. Their plans of looking for a nice location for them to spend the night and maybe even do some sightseeing in the morning before they finally headed to Mystic Falls was lost. That would be the last thing to cross their minds as Damon drove quietly. Once again they found the old Camaro filled with silence, but this time it was charged with pain. Elena couldn't remember being so sad like that for someone. Obviously it wasn't her own pain, and she had been through worse things that affected her personally, but what she witnessed a few hours ago would always be imprinted in her memories. A love like that couldn't be forgotten. A love like that could last forever, and Sage taught her about love more than she could ever learn in her lifetime. That was what love was about and looking at Damon, who had a stoic expression on his face through the entire trip, she simply reached for his hand, and squeezed it hard. Her eyes blurred with tears. Just like his. Just like they had been for the past few hours.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Here is the new chapter. I wouldn't post it tonight because I'm too tired and I still had to read <strong>Daniela's<strong> changes over and see if I agreed with all of them, which believe me or not, takes some time. I had to do a few things in my house, but after that SF I thought that you needed this chapter as much as I needed. The finale really sucked and I won't talk much about it because I don't know if everybody watched it. So here it is. So now my house is a mess, but at least my readers can look at something that I think it's better than the finale. Not because I like this chapter or my writing that much, but because I disliked the finale that much._

_I know this chapter is not that amazing, but it has some fluffy DE and the introduction of two mysteries (the package Sage gave to Elena, and what she said in the recorded message to Kol) that will not be revealed until the very end. There's also the favor Elena asked Sage to do, which will be revealed sooner than the other two.  
><em>

_Thanks a lot to all my reviewers and my beta, **Daniela.**  
><em>

_xoxo  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>


	21. XX

.

**XX**

* * *

><p>If things were bad and far from what they thought they would be when they left the Dark Zone, the news waiting for them in Mystic Falls couldn't be worse.<p>

When Damon turned his phone on to record Sage's message, he knew something wasn't right given the incredibly large amounts of voicemails and texts he had received. He was positive something was very wrong when there were texts even from Bonnie. He didn't read any of them because that was what he had promised to Elena, and after Sage finished her message, he just couldn't think of it. Now he needed a break from Mystic Falls' drama. But nearly forty-eight hours since he left the place he now only knew the name, he was back into the eye of the hurricane. And he and Elena barely made it to the boarding house before they were bombarded with the updates of what happened since they left.

For starters, his best friend, was now possessed by his protector ring. Elena couldn't believe Alaric had killed three people, but he did. The first of them he killed even before she and Damon left, but there wasn't any indication it could have ever been Alaric. It was a medical examiner from the local hospital, who had been staked as if he was a vampire, although he was definitely human. Another man was killed the day after they left, and the only thing he had in common with the first victim was the fact both were founding families' members. But then the plot thickened. Tyler came back from his journey, bringing Caroline's father with him. Bill Forbes had been helping Tyler to break the siring bond he had to Klaus, and three days later Bill Forbes was found dead.

The medical examiner's ex-girlfriend, Meredith Fell suspected of Alaric, and with the help of Stefan and some old Gilbert diaries they found out that the ring took control of its owner when the founder families failed to exterminate the vampires from Mystic Falls. Damon was in plain shock when he found out the news, but Elena was appalled.

"Jeremy! Oh my God, he has a ring too, what if he's possessed as well? He didn't die as many times as Alaric did, but he did come back a couple of times, we need to check on him, Damon," she pleaded with her boyfriend. Thankfully they had talked about how they were going to break the news of their relationship to her friends and his brother before they went to Sage. They had agreed to check on things first, and find the best moment to share the news with everyone, but they weren't willing to keep it a secret for long. Just a few days for them to assess things, and prepare their loved ones for the news they knew would have consequences for most of them. Elena expected most of them to react positively and she even expected support from Alaric and Caroline, but Damon was less positive.

But now that Stefan explained everything to them, while Alaric looked down, she couldn't stop herself from turning to the man that had been her rock. She threw her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest. While that could have been read as a friendly reaction, Stefan caught the intimacy in their embrace. He knew just then that something changed between his brother and his ex-girlfriend.

"Ric…" Damon offered quietly, and Elena realized that she hadn't said anything to her guardian. The only other family figure she still had in addition to her brother that was now alone across the country.

"Oh Ric, I'm so sorry. The Dark Zone… things had been so difficult lately, and now this, I'm so sorry, I just thought of Jeremy immediately, how are you?" she said letting go of Damon immediately and kneeling in front of where Alaric was sitting.

"It's okay, Elena. I can't even imagine what you went through in that place. Stefan didn't know much about it, but I don't think it was pretty," Alaric offered with a sad smile. He was happy she was back, but at the same time he wasn't because he didn't want her to find out about his latest actions.

"Actually… I can't remember a thing of the place itself, it's something else that was difficult, but you're family, you're more important, how are you?" she recovered from her last memory of that cursed place, an image that would never leave her mind and for that Sage didn't compel either of them.

"A murderer. I'm a murderer," he said defeated. Damon was biting his lip and he even turned away when he saw the pain in Alaric's face when he admitted his actions. Killing was something natural for him, but he knew it wasn't for his best friend, and there was nothing he could say or do to make the history teacher feel better about himself.

"That's not you, that's the ring making things," the brunette offered, but her guardian only offered yet another broken smile.

"You shouldn't stay here, it's not safe to be around me, especially because you're from a founding family member," Alaric suggested, but Elena promptly rejected the idea. She didn't know where she and Damon stood about sex, and living together, but that wasn't why she was so adamant in disagreeing with him.

"What? No, you would never try to hurt me!" she said, looking deep into his eyes.

"He's right, Elena, he has no control when his alter ego takes over," Stefan suggested, but she completely dismissed her words, continuing to talk to her teacher and guardian.

"Did you try to talk with Bonnie, maybe there's a spell that she could do," she suggested, but once again it wasn't Alaric who answered, but Stefan.

"She's working on it. We only figured out everything yesterday," he explained, and Elena nodded. There should be some sort of spell that, if she learned anything about magic it was that it can always be reversed.

"Would you like some?" Damon offered Alaric some of the bourbon he was already drinking.

"Of course," Alaric said, looking down at Elena, before standing up to go where his best friend stood.

"We can now bond over whiskey and dead bodies, I'm sure I killed more people in the last ten days than you did," Alaric attempted to joke, before downing the glass Damon handed him.

"That's not you, Ric, we still don't have that in common," Damon offered quietly.

"I think I understand you now more than I ever did. It's not you either, Damon, but still it's part of who we are, and that makes us murderers," the teacher offered before emptying another tumbler.

"Maybe drinking isn't the best idea now, Damon," Elena said quietly approaching them, while Stefan kept his position in the couch.

"That's exactly what we need, both of us, don't worry. Why don't you go check on Caroline? I know she didn't have the best relationship with her father, but still, we know how dramatic she can be," Damon offered with a smirk, but Elena knew he was hurting, and even his jokes failed.

"Damon…" she said quietly.

"I have a bottle of my best bourbon to empty, Elena. I want to be alone… unless Ric wants to help me with the task in hand," Damon raised his full glass to his friend, who collided his own with the vampire's before they both motioned to empty the objects in their hands.

"I'm on it," the teacher offered, and looking Damon closely in the eye, Elena realized that that was the way he found to show Alaric he was there for him because he certainly didn't know how to use any other words. Damon was right though, she should go check on Caroline. She was probably hurting, not because she's dramatic, but because at the end of the day, she still lost a parent. Elena knew pretty well the feeling, not when she lost Grayson and Miranda, but John and Isobel. She was never close to any of them, actually she had a lot of problems with John, but it still hurt when they died.

She didn't know how to greet her boyfriend in front of Alaric and Stefan. There were more urgent issues to be handled, but she figured out that at least Stefan should be informed by their decision before she simply kissed his brother goodbye before heading out.

"Call me if something happens," she said before leaving the house.

"I'm going to give you a ride," Stefan offered, and she simply nodded agreeing, without looking at the older Salvatore. Damon trusted her, and with good reason.

"Any good news coming from hell on earth?" Alaric asked as soon as they were left alone.

"Dozens of them," Damon said opening his bag, showing literally dozens of stakes.

"What are those?" he asked, although he had a good idea what the answer was.

"White Oak stakes," Damon offered, but unlike the teacher expected he didn't seem exactly excited about it.

"What's the catch?" Alaric asked as he emptied his fifth glass of bourbon.

"An Original can only be killed by a vampire, and the always so entertaining witches thought it would be cool if it killed the vampire, just like the dagger thing," Damon offered with a sarcastic smirk, before also downing all the contents of his tumbler.

"But Klaus killed Mikael," Alaric thought out loud.

"It seems like hybrids are that special," the sarcasm in Damon's voice only grew.

"Tyler is back," the teacher offered, slowing down with the alcohol. His head was already giving signs of not handling the scotch that well after emptying a bottle the previous night, after they figured out he was the killer.

"And I wonder what a nice conversation it will be to convince him to kill his sirer," Damon quipped, refilling his own tumbler.

"Always the optimistic one," Alaric muttered, but Damon didn't say anything back.

"I'm sorry, man," the vampire offered after a long silence between the two men.

"Now we have something more in common," it was the teacher's turn to be sarcastic, but Damon knew he was actually hurting because of the latest developments.

"If Bonnie can't find a way, we'll look for someone else, I know a few witches. If the magic in the ring caused you this, magic will solve it,"

"Why are you so sure about it?"

"Because for once they have to be useful and not mess up with everything," Damon said angrily.

"And here I thought you were having a brief moment of positivity,"

"Have you ever met me?"

"I thought being with Elena would bring more changes," Alaric shrugged, moving to fill his glass again. He'd rather feel his head exploding than the pain spreading through his body as he remembered he killed three people, one of them being his student's father. He needed the alcohol to make him forget, and the distraction of his friend's love life.

"What… How?" Damon asked, not having the energy to deny.

"I saw the smile when you entered, and I know you're angry because of the witches, and sad for me, but there's still something in your eyes,"

"Is your alter ego gay? I don't like the idea of another man looking me deep in the eyes, Ric," Damon joked, knowing that his friend needed to think of something else. His friend could use a break to talk about Elena, especially now that his brother wasn't around. He wondered if his girlfriend broke the news to Stefan while he drove her to Caroline's place.

"I'm positive Stefan noticed as well," the teacher informed him, and Damon took a deep breath.

"And here I thought I actually had a shot in a new career as an actor," he said somewhat dejectedly. He didn't want to go there with his brother. He loved the girl, and he was happy he won her, but it still stung he won her from his brother. He wanted Stefan to recover, to gain control and have a nice after life.

"I may be a murderer now with or without gay tendencies, but I'm still her guardian and the closest person she has as a father figure," Alaric's voice became more serious and Damon was tempted to roll his eyes, but he didn't in respect of what his best friend was going through.

"Are you really going to lecture me?"

"Someone has to," Alaric shrugged.

"We didn't even do the dirty," Damon didn't resist this time, and actually rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's guardian.

"That's hard to believe," the blonde quipped.

"We weren't exactly in New Orleans or Vegas," Damon said, it was weird to have no memories from the Dark Zone, but somewhere in his heart he knew it was a terrible place, worse than he could ever imagine. It even gave him shivers.

"Is the great Damon Salvatore losing his way with the ladies?" Alaric asked sarcastically.

"There's only one lady for me, and I'm satisfying my girl just fine," Damon said, but the moment the words were out of his mouth he grimaced. Did he need to sound so sappy? Only one lady? Yeah, there wasn't another girl for him in the whole world, for as long as he lived, but he didn't need to say it out loud. But it didn't seem Alaric was in the mood to make more fun of him.

"At least I don't have to worry about you getting her pregnant," the teacher shrugged again. That had been the one good thing about having Elena dating vampires.

"I'm totally not going to have this conversation with you," Damon said, refilling his glass and walking to the other side of the room.

"I know you'll always do your best not to break her heart, but we both know chances are you will," Alaric said, again his tone was serious and he actually looked concerned and sad about what they both knew was a given fact.

"Is this the part where you don't give me your authorization to be with her?" Damon asked playfully, trying to break the sudden tense air between them.

"No, this is the part that I let you know people will always disappoint their loved ones. Humans, vampires, supernatural or not, people always make mistakes, and sometimes they'll break the hearts of those they promised never to. That is a promise that's impossible to keep, Damon. Elena knows what it means to date a vampire. She's been there and done that. You're no worse than Stefan, and no better. You're different and she also knows that. The only thing she needs is for you to fight against your nature, and eventually when you lose the battle, she'll be there to help you to collect the pieces. The key is not making mistakes, but doing everything you can to avoid them, and really regret it when you can't help yourself. Don't blame yourself more than you should, don't give up on what you want just because you failed once. Love is about second chances," Alaric approached his friend, and rested his hand on his shoulder, offering this support. He was the only adult responsible for Elena but even before he stepped into that role, he had been Damon's only friend. He had seen the vampire in his worst. He had been his victim more than once. But he had also seen what most people couldn't. He saw beyond the vampire, the murderer, the guy who kept his walls so high, that he could barely allow himself to feel anything. The guy that struggled more than he would ever admit to control the nature he hated. The guy he was sure, wanted nothing more than to be human again. But seeing that Damon Salvatore was a privilege only another person had, and he was happy that they finally found their way to one another. Elena balanced Damon just as much as Damon balanced Elena. They were exactly what each other needed to bring the best out of them both.

"Do you have any ideas how many second chances she already gave me?" Damon said, guilt dripping more from his sad look than from his words.

"You're given a new chance every time you make a new mistake, Damon. That's how it works for everybody when it comes to love. You can't make the same mistake twice, even if you repeat the exact same action again. For each time you fail, she'll forgive you and offer you her hand. Just learn how to accept it and always do the same for her," Alaric suggested, applying strength to the contact between his hand and Damon's shoulder.

"The same goes for you, Ric," Damon looked up to his friend, but they both knew the vampire didn't exactly believe his own words. He wanted it to be true, but at the same time he didn't have a clue of how they could do something to change it.

"I killed three people! Three innocent men that did nothing wrong. I killed them and a part of me doesn't even regret it. Those things happen during some sort of blackouts, and I have no memories of my actions. It's like I become a completely different person, but even when I am myself, I feel this presence, I feel his presence, and he doesn't feel bad at all for the lives he took away," Alaric sighed, taking a seat in the couch by them. Damon followed his lead, although he kept some distance between their bodies. He was never that comfortable being close to anyone, not even his best friend, especially because he was a man. Damon Salvatore still had a long way to go when it came to having people close to him, even if only physically.

"I know, except for Caroline, the people who loved those men will never forgive you for your actions, Ric, but we do. For each time you kill someone, we'll forgive you and offer you a second chance because we know it's killing you to kill those people," Damon offered, and his own eyes reflected how much he felt and understood Alaric.

"This should be unforgivable," the teacher muttered, without looking at his friend.

"Forgiveness has a totally different nature when supernatural is involved. You just told me that, with different words," Damon rationalized, but he knew it wasn't enough to convince Alaric. Nothing could ever convince a man like Alaric that what he did should be forgiven. It shouldn't in his friend's head, and it really didn't matter that he had no control over his actions while it happened, it still happened and nothing would bring those men back. They were dead, they left family behind them. Parents, kids, brothers, sisters, friends. They were gone and the only thing left for those who loved them was pain. The same pain Alaric felt. But Alaric didn't lose those people, he lost himself and he knew, just like in those three men's cases, there would never be a way for him to come back.

"And now I know how you feel about it. No matter how much others say we deserve it, we never feel like we do," he confessed, burying his head in his hands. If this was a nightmare he just wished he could wake up and never fall asleep again if it meant never having to go through those emotions.

"But the key is to keep trying, to keep going," Damon offered, trying to be positive at least for once in his life.

"I'll need more of this," Alaric said taking the bottle from his hand, but they both knew he didn't mean only the alcohol.

* * *

><p>Damon and Alaric stayed in the room for nearly an hour, though they barely exchanged any words. The past few days had been hard on both of them, for different reasons and they honestly couldn't handle another word about the subjects of their pain and frustration.<p>

At some point in the evening Elena had sent a text to Damon, saying she didn't say anything to Stefan because she thought that was a conversation the two Salvatore brothers had to have. Damon didn't exactly agree because he was in no shape to have yet another probably emotional conversation, with his brother of all people. While their relationship improved a lot since they came to Mystic Falls Damon didn't know exactly where Stefan stood with his bloodlust control and how his brother had been behaving these days. It seemed like the younger Salvatore had helped Meredith to figure out what was wrong with Alaric, and had been trying to do the right thing. But he knew how The Ripper was, and at any given time Stefan could just lose it. Damon had promised to himself he would help Stefan but he just needed a good night's sleep before touching that subject, and the subject of his relationship with Elena.

As if she knew he was thinking about her, his phone beeped, showing he had received a new text message. It was almost ten at night, and he wondered if there was something wrong.

_I'm already at home_, he read on his phone's screen.

Damon didn't know exactly what she wanted to accomplish with that message. Elena never gave him the impression of being someone who reported her every step. Maybe things with Caroline had been harder than she was prepared for and she wanted him to be there for her? She had no idea how much he needed some comfort himself, but he had to say something back. That would be their third day as a couple and he definitely didn't want to already start disappointing her, or bringing her down when she needed him.

_Are you okay? Is everything fine?_, he answered back and waited until his phone finally vibrated again, less than a minute later.

_No_. was all her text said, and it broke his heart to know she probably felt just as bad as he did.

He was still thinking of what he should answer, when his phone beeped again. _Spend the night with me_, he read and he knew that was the one thing he could do. Only when he read her message and thought of the possibility of sleeping with her in his arms like he had done for the past few days, he realized how much he needed it.

* * *

><p><em>I'm on my way<em>, Elena read on her screen and sighed relieved. She knew all latest developments had hit him harder than her. Sage and Alaric were much closer to him than she was, although she had a very close relationship with her teacher. Alaric overcame and forgave Damon for even more things than she did. The vampire killed and turned his wife, hid it from him and also killed him on two occasions. But still Damon was the closest friend Alaric had since he moved to Mystic Falls, and the teacher was the vampire's only friend, in addition to herself. They had a pretty difficult relationship on their own, but it also made it all more special. While Alaric dated her aunt and became her guardian once Jenna passed out, she knew Alaric was more important to Damon than he was to her. Her teacher became one of her many friends, the many people that cared about her, while he was the only one that thought about Damon's safety and feelings when they set up a plan. Also Alaric had been there for him all the times she had hurt him, and for that she was thankful, but also guilty.

Before she could continue her train of thoughts, she felt his arms encircling her body from behind. She had been standing in the middle of her bedroom, with her phone in her hands, after she brushed her teeth to sleep. She was surprised he came from the door and not from the window as usual.

"Hey," he whispered, kissing her hair.

"Sorry, I know this must be very difficult for you, much more difficult than it is for me. I just needed you. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. I don't feel like talking either. Just hold me," she offered with unshed tears, as she turned around in his arms, and hugged him tightly.

"Okay," he said holding her just as strongly. They held each other for a while, but a couple of minutes later he led them to her bed. He couldn't help the feelings he had being there. He was going to spend the night in her bed and while he had already done it before, it wasn't like now. After the night he found Mikael, he spent the night with her, but they were still friends, and she let him stay out of tiredness. She had needed him and he had needed her that day, but in different levels and in different ways.

They were silent and quiet, and no matter how much they looked for sleep, it wasn't coming to them. Elena didn't even keep her eyes closed anymore. She'd been trying for over an hour, and nothing happened. She just stared into nowhere, letting her mind process everything that happened in the Dark Zone – the part Sage didn't erase – and what had been happening in Mystic Falls. She tilted her head up in his chest, and looked to Damon, who seemed lost in his own thoughts, so much that he didn't even realize her eyes on him. She knew both things were harder on him than they were on her. She could feel the tension radiating from his body. She could almost feel him struggling to keep himself in line. She knew he was dealing with a lot of emotions he wasn't used to anymore. Those feelings while not foreign per say, were still difficult to deal. He knew pain, hurt, sorrow, frustration, agony, anguish more than most people did. But just because he was used to feeling those emotions, it didn't mean he had the slightest idea of what to do with them. He usually just turned his emotions off, but that wasn't a possibility anymore. Other than that he only knew how to handle those emotions by letting his nature take over his actions.

"I'm here for you, you can cry, you can yell, we can make out, damn, we can even have wild sex if that will help you through. Just say the word, just let me know how I can help you, and I'll do it. But if you don't know what to do, just try each of those things. I'm not letting you go, I'm not ignoring your pain, I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone. You have me now, Damon, for better or for worse," she offered, before climbing his chest and kissing him chastely in the lips.

"I really am sorry, Elena, for all the times I broke you, I hurt you and your friends, I really am. I wish there was something I could do to change what I am, to change who I am, but there isn't. I know it's not fair to keep apologizing if I keep making those mistakes. I really hope you'll continue to find in your pure and selfless heart, the will to forgive me. I promise I'll do my best to never lash out or lose control," he answered, and for a moment she couldn't understand why he was talking like that.

"I'm not blaming you for anything, Damon, I'm not playing the guilt card. I want to help you, and yes, I'll forgive you as many times as you need me too. I will never understand how hard is it for you to control something you don't have the resources to control, I'll never understand how is it to be incapable of dealing with emotions, but I'll stand by you," she offered, wrapping her arms around his neck, while her legs moved to each side of him, allowing her to sit on his lap.

"Sex sometimes helps, it's better than alcohol, because bourbon only dulls me, while sex helps me to release what I can't feel or handle, but I refuse to have sex with you as a way to lash out, as an outlet. You're not an object," he answered honestly, but Elena didn't understand what he really meant.

"Oh," was all she said, before she pulled away from him, and sat by his side on her bed, keeping some distance between them.

She thought about his words for a good five minutes, before she turned to him, her eyes glossing with tears. But there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. Even if it broke her heart doing so.

"Would you mind going to Richmond for that?" she asked, and he looked at her confused.

"Do you want me to go to Richmond?"

"I know it makes me selfish and shallow, but in a few days the whole city will know about us, and Fells Church is too close, a lot of people from there will learn about us too. I know the least of my concerns now should be my reputation, trust me, it's not only that. It's just I don't want to look at all beautiful girls and imagine if they were the ones you chose to… help you with your situation," she said, bravely holding her tears back.

"Elena, what the hell are you talking about?" he asked thinking he had heard her wrong, "Are you… Do you really think it would cross my mind to sleep with any woman?"

"You just said sex sometimes helps. You also said you don't want to use me for that, though I would never feel used. You're my boyfriend, the man I love. There's nothing I wouldn't do to help you. I'd rather you have meaningless sex with a stranger than killing someone. I can't be that selfish," she explained, and her decision of not crying was broken the moment she mentioned another woman being with him.

"Listen to me; I would never, ever touch another woman in my life. You're it for me, Elena. And maybe someday we could have sex to help me relieve the emotions that are suffocating me. But that day won't be today. I know I sound like a fifteen year old boy who is about to have sex for the first time with a woman, but I don't want our first time to be about anything but my love and need for you. You and only you," he said, holding her face in place, before he kissed her with love.

"You don't sound like a boy, you sound like the man I fell in love with. And I fell for you for a reason and you keep reminding me of it every single day," she said, more tears falling now than when she thought of him with someone else.

"I just can't believe you would allow me to cheat on you, just so I'd feel better, what about you, Elena? How do you think I'd feel knowing I'm better at the expense of hurting you?" he asked completely shocked by her love and support. He had to be honest with himself; he would never do the same for her. The very idea of another man touching her sent him to the edge more than any other emotion – or the rest of all emotions combined – could ever send.

"I just can't see you hurting; it hurts more than knowing you paid a whore to lash out, and that would be my only condition, that you actually paid for it," she admitted, and he couldn't understand for the undead life of him why they were having that conversation in the first place. He had had enough of that nonsense.

"This conversation stops now, and it stops for good. There's only one woman for me, Elena Gilbert, and that's you. I hope there's only one man for you too, no matter what the situation is," he cupped her face, kissing her deeply for a long minute.

"I could never be with another man, Damon," she said, after they broke apart. No other man could make her feel what she felt for him. She only had two boyfriends, but she didn't need to be more experienced to know what she had with Damon was hard to find. She just knew it. It couldn't compare to Matt and not even with Stefan.

"So you know exactly how I feel," he said, bringing her to rest against his chest.

"I love you," she said, quietly, bringing herself to be even closer to him.

"I love you, too. I don't know if I'm deserving of your love and the sacrifices you're willing to make for me, but I'll do everything in my power to be a better man, to be the man you expect me to be," he said, matching her need to be closer, increasing the grip of his arms around her body.

"I expect you to be just you. I'll be holding your hand through all this because I know if you ever lose control again, it will be because you couldn't find a way to stop yourself," she said, climbing on him again, and kissing him lightly on the lips, lingering just a little longer.

Damon just allowed the emotions he felt in that exact moment to take over his body and soul. He couldn't describe what he felt when she was in his arms, saying those things. He wasn't refraining from feeling anything. He wasn't stopping any reaction. Quite the opposite actually, he was embracing the moment and the feelings her words and actions brought with them. They stayed like that, really savoring and allowing themselves to feel the powerful connection they had. And after some minutes Damon finally came to a surprising realization.

"You, Elena. All I need to have control is you; all I need to soothe my emotions is your voice saying you love me. You bring me peace like I've never experienced as a vampire," he admitted honestly, and that had been by far, the happiest moment of her life so far. Helping him, being that important to him was the most rewarding and exhilarating she had ever had.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm so sorry for the delay, but I've been VERY sick for more than a week now. Nothing serious, just a cold, but the father of all colds! Some days I didn't even leave my bed. So it means I took a while to post this chapter and the next will probably take longer than a week as well.<br>_

_I decided to bring the Evil!Alaric to this story because he'll play a BIG hole in one of the three mysteries we have (what Sage gave to Elena, what Elena asked to Sage or what Sage said in the message). I don't plan to turn him into an Original, just Evil!Alaric controlled by his ring - which here has nothing to do with Esther's explanation (especially because if that's why he got evil, why did the Gilbert girl in the 20's also got evil? So many loopholes in the that show, I just can't).  
><em>

_Thanks for all the reviews and thanks to my beta, **Daniela.**  
><em>

_**Off topic:  
><strong>_

_I want to start a new story - an outlet to all my dislike with the show and especially Elena's character. I don't know if I mentioned it, but after the finale I gave up on the show, I won't watch next season or any other after it. They didn't have to make DE happen, but I think they used us, giving us hope, just so they would keep their numbers. I think their plan backfired because a lot of people are saying they won't come back for season 4, although a lot of people think that because Elena did meet Damon first she will change her mind (she never meant it like that, she meant if she HAD FALLEN for him first, not simply met). Once I drop a show, it's for good, I've never watched an episode after I gave up on Grey's Anatomy or Gossip Girl, TVD won't be different. So this new story will be about Damon moving on, trying to do something of his life (with or without a girl involved) because he realizes it's pointless to have hope to be with someone that will always love someone else. BUT Elena will realize that she really doesn't want safety and stability in her life. She wants what Damon said she wanted, the first time they met (the only good part of the SF). And she will realize that is Damon who makes her feel that way. But he won't be interested anymore. So the main question is: will she be able to change his mind or will it be too late? What do you guys think about it? Should I try? Would you give it a try? It won't be good for Elena, she'll hurt a lot, but no matter how much she hurts, it can't compare to how much Damon already hurt because of her. So let me know!  
><em>

_Have a nice weekend.  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>


	22. XXI

.

**XXI**

* * *

><p>The following day carried all their worries and pain and while Elena had been worried about everyone, her biggest concern was her brother. She and Damon went separate ways in the morning, and after he dropped her off at Caroline's place, he headed to his own house. Just like Elena, his priority was his brother. The witch didn't find anything that could really help Alaric, and Damon wasn't sure there was anything, but he did make some phone calls before he arrived at the boarding house.<p>

There was nothing he could personally do for his friend. The only thing left was to wait for the witches to find a way to help the teacher, but he was still concerned about Stefan. Maybe there was something he could do to the younger Salvatore though. The brooding vampire seemed in much better shape the day before, than when he and Elena left almost two weeks ago and Damon didn't want to risk it with his and Elena's presence. Although Alaric was close to Damon, Stefan had been closer for much longer. There was no one that knew him better than his brother and if Alaric realized there was something different going on between Elena and him, he had no doubts Stefan came to the same conclusion. That concerned the older Salvatore more than anything else at the moment. It even temporarily erased the residual bad memories he had from the Dark Zone.

He entered the house to find the younger Salvatore standing in the den, gazing a glass full of blood, over one of the columns in the room.

"Practicing telekinetic? It's a new technique in the Vampires Digest?" Damon quipped, walking to the alcohol, filling a glass of bourbon. If he had to deal with brooding Stefan he better balance it with some alcohol.

Stefan didn't acknowledge his brother's presence, and just kept his position a few feet away from the glass. He was looking at it intently, like his life depended on it, but he didn't move, it seemed like he didn't even blink, and Damon just shook his head. Why always the brooder?

"How things progressed in the past couple of weeks for you, brother?" Damon asked as he reached for the glass of blood and downed it swiftly.

"The best question is how things progressed for you, Damon," Stefan stated emotionlessly.

"This isn't about Elena, this is about you, Stefan," Damon answered, trying to read his brother, but there wasn't anything to read.

"I didn't kill anyone, if that's what you're asking," Stefan walked away from Damon, towards the library.

"That's a good start," Damon offered, and Stefan didn't know if he was being serious or teasing him.

"I've tortured myself, I repeated mantras, I made Caroline vervain me, but nothing really helps. I spend a couple of days without blood and then I empty the whole freezer in record time," the blond admitted frustrated.

"Then try harder," Damon simply said as they entered the room.

"Easy for you to say, you were never controlled by your bloodlust. You don't know how impotent the lack of control makes you. You don't know how it feels to want to do something, but failing miserably on preventing it from happening," Stefan snapped.

"I have no idea? I may not have a problem controlling my bloodlust, Stefan, but how can you say I don't have a clue about how it is to be fucking desperate not to have control over your own body?" Damon answered nearly angry by his brother's incapability of seeing other's problems. Normally Stefan would only focus on him, even when he cared about someone else; it was ultimately because of himself. That was why he had always agreed with Elena's decisions of risking her life. He'd rather be the good boyfriend, the one she died loving, than do something against her will and endure her disapproval or even dismissal.

"You just kill them; you don't feel the consuming need to dismantle their bodies!" Stefan cried out.

"At the end, we just kill people, Stefan. When I say you should try harder, it's because it's possible. You need to learn to control it instead of avoiding it. We're vampires, we drink blood to live, human blood. Don't go look for the alternative. Fight against your instinct, fight against your addiction, fight against your weakness," Damon emphatically said.

"Why for? To watch you and Elena walk into the sunset?" Stefan answered quietly.

"I'm talking about you, not some girl, Stefan," Damon said, already seeing his patience thinning.

"It's really not some girl, if you went to great lengths to be with her," the blonde's tone of voice didn't change and it actually angered Damon. He hated when Stefan was so unresponsive. His brother really lived through extremes. He didn't know moderation at all, but Damon dealt better with crazy Stefan rather than brooding, null Stefan.

"I'm not here because of Elena, and you know it," Damon fought the will to roll his eyes. He loved his brother, he knew that, but Stefan was definitely frustrating… and annoying sometimes.

"Where did you spend the night?" the green-eyed vampire asked, changing the subject, but Damon wouldn't let him off of the hook so easily.

"She's been through hell and back since we left. Her guardian became a murderer and her brother is probably following in his steps for all she knows. She needed someone," Damon said defensively, although he knew he shouldn't feel guilty for being with Elena. Stefan had never felt that way, he wouldn't either.

"She deserves better, you know," Stefan added, and that was the fuel Damon's anger needed to take over him.

"For the last time, Stefan, this isn't about her, this is about you!" Damon yelled at his brother, but not even his outburst provoked a reaction from the younger brother.

"There's no me without her, Damon, don't you understand it?" the blonde answered frustrated.

"So what, do you want me to give up on the girl so you can find motivation to fight it off?" Damon asked, trying to stop himself from just punching his brother.

"I'm not saying that," Stefan answered, and for the first time since Damon started pushing him to have that conversation, he saw some emotion in his brother's face. Hope. He didn't know if Stefan was really that selfish or if he just didn't realize it. Most time he thought Stefan took advantage of their opposite personalities and unlike anyone could say, Damon was the accommodating one, while Stefan was the obliging one. As much as he thought Stefan didn't exactly mean badly, he was tired of being used by his younger brother.

"No, Stefan, you're trying to manipulate me, as you always do, but this time I won't have it. This time I won't pretend I can't see through your actions because I think I'll lose the girl either way," Damon said and Stefan was actually surprised by his brother's words.

"You may be a selfish, manipulative son of a bitch, but you're my brother. I won't let a girl come between us again. It's her decision. She knows we both love her, but she isn't Katherine. She won't choose to play with both of us," Damon defended Elena from the bottom of his heart. It actually made him cringe putting her and Katherine in the same sentence because they were polar opposites. Which reminded him he was yet to apologize for implying she was like Katherine the night she admitted using him to get what she wanted. Who was he kidding? She had every right to manipulate him as she wanted for what he did to her brother. Any sane person would have hated him for the rest of their lives and never forgive him, but that wasn't who Elena was. She had a precious heart, for which he was thankful for.

"Easy for you to say, when she already chose to be with you," Stefan answered bitterly.

"Yes, Stefan, we are together, she's actually my girlfriend, and she said with all those words that she chose me, but I'm choosing you. I had to deal with you having the girl, and now it's your turn. I'm not choosing you over her or her over you. There was never a choice for us. It has always been hers. You're my brother and I'm not leaving you because of her, and before you say you're leaving, I'm not allowing it. At least not until I know you're in control of yourself," Damon approached Stefan, and he actually wanted to move his hands to his shoulders and shake the blonde until he finally understood he was going to be there for him, despite Elena.

"So is it now payback for the time I spent with her around you?" Stefan asked melancholically. He knew that wasn't the case, but he couldn't stop feeling sorry for himself, especially when he was already depressed because of his battle with addiction. He knew Damon was right about some things, but they were bigger than him. That was the only way he had learned to deal with his emotions. Whether he would ever admit it or not, he would always count on Damon to sacrifice himself for him. It hadn't been always like that. Actually for most of their existences Damon wanted nothing to do with him, but since they came back to Mystic Falls things changed, and more than ever, he could recognize the brother he used to have before Katherine. Those months had been the closest they ever were since they turned. He knew he had always taken advantage of Damon's easiness on giving up in favor of those he loved and he knew his brother loved him. He didn't want to take advantage of Damon, but before he knew, he was doing exactly that. It made him feel guilty, especially about Elena, but at least in the past he had the brunette to make him forget or think it was worth it. He knew Damon was right, no girl would be as important to him as Damon. He just wished he could be so giving and selfless as Damon was.

"No, Stefan, this is me forgiving and forgetting you ever played a part in making me a vampire against my will. It was my decision to drink Katherine's blood, it was my decision to be a vampire because of her, but I didn't want to turn when I thought she was dead. You aren't entirely responsible for me turning into a vampire, but you're a big part of it happening. It was that, more than Katherine, that separated us. I'm here saying no other girl, not Katherine and not Elena, will separate us again, and I'm letting this feud between us go, for good. Forever. You're my brother. I'm here for you, and Elena has nothing to do with that,"

"Is that your way of trying to apologize?" Stefan actually chuckled slightly at his brother's words.

"Consider yourself lucky. Go ask Ric about his and Mason's turns," Damon shrugged, and Stefan shook his head, the small smile still present in his face.

"I don't know if I can do it, Damon. It doesn't progress as days pass. It's like there's this deadline for blood, that prevents me from going more than two days without it," the younger brother finally opened up, falling over a chair, feeling defeated and powerless over his situation.

"I'm serious, Stefan, try harder. Find a better motivation than Elena. You knew you were risking losing her the moment you went to Klaus. You didn't lose her to me, or to someone else. You gave up on her," Damon suggested. He wasn't going to give up on his girlfriend. He could love her and his brother at the same time, and he just hoped Stefan would come to terms with that, because otherwise all the effort he was putting on creating a bond with him would be fruitless.

"Is that you trying to manipulate me now?" Stefan raised one of his eyebrows, much like the older Salvatore often did.

"On what?" Damon asked truly confused.

"On doing it for you?" Stefan asked, but by the surprise written all over Damon's face, he knew his brother didn't plan it to be like that.

"No, Stefan. I'm trying to make you understand that you will only be able to do it if you do it for yourself," Damon sighed. Sometimes Stefan was really frustrating.

"I wish it was that simple," Stefan muttered.

"I know it's not simple and it's not easy, but I'll be there for you, through all of this. Elena doesn't need to come between us. I'm not asking you to be a good loser, I'm asking you to be my brother, and let me be your brother," Damon said, and he felt like his emotions were already starting to be overwhelming. Stefan would have to get his point, otherwise they would have to wait a few weeks to have that conversation again. Frustration, disappointment, love, hope, faith, guilt and the feeling of being powerless made the conversation very difficult for Damon.

Stefan contemplated what Damon said for a few minutes, but he still didn't know if it was worth the time. What could Damon do to him that Caroline hadn't been doing? He went to her to do everything, even torture, until the point where she couldn't take it anymore. And then her father was murdered, by their friend. She stepped away, but that morning, before they found out about Bill Forbes he had already emptied twenty blood bags. What could Damon do differently except for having no problem torturing him?

"Maybe we could fix your broodiness to, you know with the self improving thing. Trust me, that's not attractive," Damon decided to lighten the conversation a little bit with quip and alcohol, as he filled another glass of bourbon.

"Maybe you should try it. It helps a lot with keeping the emotions at bay," Stefan smiled, deciding to follow his brother's lead and also get himself a drink.

"Touché," Damon raised his tumbler. Stefan accepted the toss, and after a few minutes in silence he spoke again.

"And Damon?"

"Yes, brother," Damon didn't try to cover the annoyance in his voice. Couldn't they enjoy the perks of bonding with alcohol longer? Did they really have to start talking again?

"I've always been a sore loser," Stefan offered a small smile that somehow was bigger to his brother than his face ever showed.

"Yeah, but I thought the brooding joke was better. It'll always be better," Damon smirked, dismissing the fact that Stefan had just admitted not dealing with loss well. Not even if he lost to his own brother.

"At least you didn't mention journaling. Though you should know it does wonders to the conflicted souls," Stefan offered, and for the first time since they went to the bar alone all those months ago – that felt like years – the brothers were simply bonding and making jokes. They were both aware that all their problems were still the same and that a conversation, no matter how good and reassuring wouldn't resolve Stefan's issues with human blood. But knowing his brother would be there for him made Stefan believe a little bit more that maybe he'd overcome his problem once and for all.

"No conflict here, brother, I fully embrace what I am, but all the killing gets old. So I suppose no more killing now?" Damon said playfully, but they both knew he was serious.

"Yeah," Stefan nodded and started to walk away, but Damon called upon him.

"Elena and I, we'll keep our distance. I've been there. I know how much it hurts," Damon said, and Stefan was surprised to hear vulnerability in his brother's voice. It was rare for Damon to show any weakness, or emotion.

"Thank you, Damon," the blonde answered honestly, offering yet another smile.

"You're welcome, brother," Damon raised his glass of bourbon, as Stefan left the room.

* * *

><p>"One brother, down, two more to go," Damon said to Elena on the phone, on his way to the Lockwood dungeon.<p>

"_How did it go? Did you tell him about us?_" she asked and he could easily catch the anxiety and concern in her voice.

"Sort of, there's so much brooding I can take. But he got the picture," Damon explained, while Elena breathed relieved. She feared her relationship with Damon would send Stefan even farther off the wagon.

"_And how is he?_" she asked still worried.

"Isn't that obvious? Over-broody, probably journaling his soul wounds and the lack of purpose in his eternal life now that he doesn't have the girl he loves anymore," Damon answered teasingly.

_"I'm serious, Damon_," she reprehended her boyfriend.

"So am I! If he's smart, and sometimes I don't think he is, he'll focus on himself now. I told him we'll keep our distance from him, he seemed to have appreciated it," the vampire finally gave more details, calming her remaining nerves down.

"_Good,_"

"I'm taking a risk here, Elena. You may trust Elijah, but I don't. Not when it comes to his brother. He never said he was okay with our plan to kill Klaus and as soon as he found out about our arrival, he scheduled this meeting in the middle of the woods," Damon offered as he entered the Lockwood's property, still far from where Elijah would meet him.

"_You can trust him. And you should understand him better than anyone_," Elena answered without any reluctance.

"My brother is going through a phase; Klaus' had lasted about a millennium now. I suppose Stefan has a slight better shot in vampire rehab," Damon quipped, while she suppressed a chuckle. It was totally like him to make fun of such serious subjects like Stefan's and Klaus' behaviors. And that was one of the many things she loved about him.

"_I scheduled our flights. We need to be in Richmond's airport at three,_" she informed, changing the subject.

"Some good news after all. Human rehabs are much less complicated and I like them better when they involve us in a trip," he answered, and although she couldn't see him, she was sure he was wriggling his eyebrows.

"_I'm not sure if we should bring him here,_" Elena ignored her boyfriend's flirting. She had been worried sick about Jeremy, but at least there weren't any founding members in Denver. At least not that they knew about.

"It's your call, Princess," Damon said, keeping his senses alert. Elena may trust Elijah, but he didn't.

"_Ugh, don't call me that,_" she answered annoyed. She hated those pet names. Or at least she pretended she did. When Damon said those things it wasn't cheesy, it was charming and flirting.

"I thought you enjoyed it. Or is it only when you're a warrior princess?" he asked, and she actually smiled, remembering the day vividly.

"_Talk to you later, Damon,_" she offered, her voice showing she was curling her lips.

"Yeah, I love me, too," he said casually.

"_Wasn't that supposed to be 'I love you, too'?_" she smiled, again, and that was one the things she loved about being with him. No matter how terrible things were, or the implications of the crises they were in, Damon always found a way to put a sincere smile on her face. Quite often, and quite easily.

"I'm just agreeing that I'm very loveable, even if you pick funny ways to say those three words that I will never get tired to hear," he shrugged, and if she was near him she would see the rare smile flashing on his face.

"_I love you, Damon,_" she said softly, without any sign of tease in her voice.

"I love you, too," he answered seriously, before he disconnected their call.

* * *

><p>"So you finally got the girl, congratulations," Elijah offered, as Damon stood in front of him.<p>

"I'm sure you're not here to talk about my love life," Damon quipped.

"How were things in the Dark Zone?" the Original changed the subject as Damon wanted.

"Traumatizing, how is your brother?" Damon inquired. He needed to deal with the things he found out in the Dark Zone, and they should be his priority, but they would have to wait a couple of days, so he could deal with Elijah.

"Better now that he knows Elena is back. We were able to keep him in the dark about her absence for a week, but since he found out she wasn't around anymore he's been… difficult, but having to deal with his three siblings had been enough for him to wait another week. Also, the fact that Alaric went off the wagon helped. Klaus knew you and Elena would come back as soon as you heard about them,"

"I meant Kol,"

"Fine," Elijah frowned.

"I have a couple of things Sage asked me to give to him, ask him to come see me at the boarding house," Damon informed, remembering everything that wasn't erased from his memory made him cringe.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Elijah asked with his cool tone.

"I've been compelled to forget everything about the Dark Zone. That was the condition Sage demanded to release us. I wasn't supposed to ever come back there, and I caused her a lot of problems. I don't want to talk about that anymore," Damon said, and Elijah appraised him for a moment. It really seemed like the other vampire was telling the truth and he seemed quite affected by whatever had happened there. He seemed so affected, how had his memories been erased?

"Did you find a way to kill Niklaus?" Elijah asked more clearly what he really wanted to know.

"I won't give up until I kill your brother, if that's what you want to know, Elijah," Damon smirked forcefully, squinting a little bit.

"That's my brother," Elijah answered as a matter of factly.

"He's the only one in your family I have a reason to kill. Remember, I still have Finn, and if I found a way to kill one it means I could kill all of you. The best deal you will get out of this is your safety and your other siblings as long as you're far away from Mystic Falls and Elena. You choose, Finn or Klaus, there's no way your family will ever be complete again," the younger vampire answered bluntly, and it seemed to be enough for Elijah to lose some of his coolness.

"I may not resort to violence as much as Niklaus does, but I don't like to be threatened, Damon," the subtle threat was emphasized by Elijah's dangerous look.

"Your brother won't stop, I won't allow him to use Elena as his blood bag to create an army of creatures that are a threat to my own existence. If you came here thinking there was any kind of deal you could make with me, there isn't," Damon didn't let himself be intimated by the Original's actions, but that wasn't the only one he was dealing with. He was in significant power and numeric disadvantage.

"You do know we could kill you just right now, don't you?" Damon heard a female voice he knew too well coming behind him.

"And what would you accomplish? You don't know if we have a weapon to kill Klaus or not and you don't know where your brother is hidden so you wouldn't want to kill me right now. There are other people who know everything I know, but you don't know who they are. All of our lives are at high risk. You can kill me, but you will never see Finn again and you could be killed when you least expect, by someone you would never think of. My life is at stake as much as yours right now," Damon said boldly, and Rebekah seemed to back away. Her main target was still Elena, but like Elijah, she didn't want her brother dead.

"Unless you're bluffing," a third voice made itself known, and seeing the youngest Original Damon lost some of his edge, making it clear to the other three, although they were mistaken about the reasons why Damon's demeanor changed drastically and quickly with Kol's arrival.

"Maybe you should know then that I've been with Sage, she asked me to deliver you a couple of things, that aren't with me right now," Damon quickly added the information he knew would stop Kol from doing something to him. Sage had said many times of her lover short tempered personality and by looking at Kol, now awake, he could see even more clear how right the Ancient was about her boyfriend's behavior.

"Sage? You know about Sage?" Kol moved in vampire speed and in a second was holding Damon in the air by his collar, "Where is she?" he demanded.

"In a place called the Dark Zone," Elijah answered, and Kol dropped Damon on the floor turning to his brother.

"And you didn't tell me anything?" the male blonde asked, while Damon asked the same thing to Elijah.

"What good would it make to let you know Damon was with Sage? He's the only one who knows where the Dark Zone is, you would leave to look for it," Elijah offered with his usual collectiveness.

"What the hell is this Dark Zone?" Kol asked impatiently. He couldn't believe after almost a thousand years Sage was still around, and most importantly, waiting for him.

"Go to the boarding house, without homicidal plans, I went there because of her. I didn't know for sure if she knew a way to kill Klaus, but I owed it to her to let her know you were free and what she wanted to do about it," the blue-eyed vampire explained, but the youngest Original barely acknowledged him. He couldn't wait to be reunited with the woman he never stopped loving, even if he had stayed unconscious for the past nine centuries.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning to this place, wherever it is," Kol said leaving his siblings behind him.

"Salvatore, I won't watch still while you try to kill my brother right under my nose," Rebekah offered, following her brother. There was no way she was going to allow him to go find Sage. She hated the woman and she didn't want Kol to live in the cursed place for the rest of eternity.

"I suppose our truce ends here," Elijah offered, and Damon only nodded.

"I hope we still have an agreement about Elena, though," Damon said with much less boldness.

"I don't have any reason to hurt Elena, I don't usually hurt people to bring down my enemies. I won't make a deal to get Finn back and agree to watch you kill Niklaus. He's a bastard and I understand your reasons for wanting him dead, I'll see if we can find some common ground," Elijah tried, but Damon wasn't willing to be diplomatic. He wanted Klaus dead and he wouldn't stop until he saw it with his own eyes. He made a promise to himself in favor of his brother and girlfriend, and he was going to keep it, no matter what the price. He was a man of his word.

"There's no common ground for me in that matter, Elijah. My brother is going through hell because of yours. Elena will never have a normal life for as long as Klaus exists in any form. As I said, I don't have any reason to kill the rest of you, but if you stand in my way, I won't think twice," the vampire's words were again filled with conviction and bravery.

"I could say the same to you," Elijah answered collected.

"Good, I prefer to know for sure I can't trust people rather than being forced to trust them when I know they shouldn't be trusted," Damon offered, before he turned around and walked away, in human speed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know there wasn't much of DE in this update, but I need the action to start. Also I love DS, so I'm very happy with Damon and Stefan trying to work their differences. Both know each other's flaws and Damon isn't fooled by Stefan in this story. He knows exactly how his brother works, he just doesn't know if it's on purpose or something he does without realizing. You guys can be the judge to that.<em>

_So there's no more truce between the Originals and the gang, and DE is going on a trip, which may lead Kol's patience to run thin. Things will heat up in more than one way next.  
><em>

_Please let me know your thoughts!  
><em>

_Thanks a lot to my beta, **Daniela** and to my reviewers. There are some spoilers after my name, so if you're interested, keep scrolling down.  
><em>

_xoxo  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>SPOILERS: There are going to be three or four more chapters (including the epilogue). So far I have planned FIVE deaths, and they include all species we saw in this story (Originals, Hybrids, humans, etc). Damon and Elena will be more... equals coming soon. Almost all deaths are very emotional, will bring some people to tears and a lot of sacrifices will me made in the name of love (at least three of those deaths are purposeful and intended to be sacrificial). There will be a lot of heartbreak as well because couples will be solved by missing one party, or two parties. At least two of those deaths are from the 'good' side, two are sort of neutral, or from the bad side. There's a twistgame change coming at the very ending and I think not many people will like it. Some will probably hate on me and what I did with the story (I hope some will love), but I won't change my mind. What else could I say without saying everything... there will be flashbacks (sort of), a lot of magic coming (I won't neglect Bonnie forever) and not many happy endings. The number of fatalities could grow as I write those chapters, so five is the least.  
><em>


	23. XXII

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**XXII**

* * *

><p>Damon knew he probably shouldn't have provoked Kol like that, but he needed to gain somemore time. The moment he delivered the letter and the video to Kol, hell would break loose, and he hoped to have handled Klaus already by then. He didn't know the letter's contents, but if it had anything to do with the message Sage recorded he knew the youngest Original would go wild. It was a good thing he and Elena were leaving for Denver, to check on Jeremy. Nobody knew about their whereabouts, and when they arrived there, they were relieved to know Jeremy seemed to be fine.<p>

They stayed another night, communicating with their friends through e-mails and text messages, without revealing their whereabouts. They knew things would happen really fast when they were back in Mystic Falls, so they decided to take as long as possible to make it back to Virginia, and that was renting a car and having yet another road trip. Although they didn't admit to each other they wanted to spend as much time together because they didn't know what would happen when they were back. Klaus was probably suspicious of their disappearance and he wasn't happy to know his other brother was nowhere to be found. Damon was also worried about Elena's safety, not because of Klaus, who needed her, but because of Rebekah. The female Original seemed to be playing solo, as much as Elijah and Kol. He knew it was a long shot, but he expected at least one of the siblings to be against Klaus after everything he had done to them. There was no bond like the bond of family. No matter how terrible Klaus had been to them, the Originals weren't willing to turn their back to their selfish brother. But it had been worth a shot.

"You've been unusually quiet," Elena commented, from the passenger seat of the SUV they rented.

"Trying to come up with a plan," he answered, but the frown on his forehead didn't disappear.

"It's already evening, why we don't look for a place to sleep in the next city, and then continue from there tomorrow?" she changed the subject, knowing that their lack of a plan had worsened his mood.

"The next city is almost a hundred miles away," he said looking quickly at the GPS map on his cell phone.

"Is it better than the last ones?" she asked curiously, trying to get a look at the device he was still holding.

"It's Columbia, it's bigger than Mystic Falls," he shrugged, before handing her his cell phone so she could see it for herself.

"It doesn't need much to be bigger than Mystic Falls," she answered playfully, with a hint of a smile.

"True," he turned to her briefly, offering a small smile himself, before turning his attention back to the road.

"Do you think we could stay in a hotel instead of a motel?" she asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"Probably, why?" his frown deepened. It wasn't like Elena to mind what kind of accommodation they stayed in, especially in a time of crisis. Actually looking closer at her, she seemed uneasy and anxious, but he didn't want to know what had been bothering her. He already had a lot on his mind that he had to deal with.

"I'm really tired. I want a good bed for a change," she lied, and he could see right through her, but he didn't say anything. He had to agree with her that the last couple of nights hadn't been ideal. They spent the nights at a motel near Jeremy's school, and the bed was terrible, to say the least, but Elena wanted to be close to her brother, even if she couldn't prevent anything bad from happening in the little while they were staying in Colorado. She wished she could stay longer, or even bring her brother back to Mystic Falls, but that wasn't a good idea. They were confident the Originals didn't know where her brother was, and that was the safer option for Jeremy, at least until Klaus was dead.

"Sure," he simply answered, and they stayed silent for a long time, until the vibrations from her phone were brought to their attention.

"It's from Caroline," Elena informed as she went through her friend's e-mail, "Tyler broke the bond. Klaus showed up at the school's dance and when Tyler didn't want to let go of Caroline, Klaus demanded him to. He could feel that he didn't have to do as Klaus said, but for the sake of the cover, he moved aside," she explained, feeling happy after hearing the first piece of good news in a while. Everything seemed so hectic these days. She wasn't convinced that Jeremy's normal behavior meant the ring wasn't affecting him. There weren't any vampires in Denver as far as they knew, let alone humans defending vampires, so the ring wouldn't have any effect on Jeremy while he was away from the supernatural.

"Are they sure of it?" Damon asked almost skeptical about it. It wasn't like them to be that lucky.

"They're going to test it again," Elena explained, while she typed an answer to her friend.

"Make sure Barbie won't let her boyfriend know about our plan. If Tyler finds out about the stakes and decides to let his master know about it, things will get even harder," Damon mentioned for what Elena could swear was the thousandth time.

"We all know that, Damon," she rolled her eyes, but still had a smile as she hit the button send in her phone.

"Repeating ourselves to her won't hurt," he shrugged.

"Fine," she sighed, composing yet another text to repeat again to Caroline that Tyler shouldn't know about their plans until they were sure he broke the bond.

* * *

><p>"I guess you're lucky, Ms. Gilbert, there's a couple of hotels in town," Damon said as he drove them through the almost deserted streets of Columbia, Missouri.<p>

"There is more than just a couple," she said as they drove through the city. She had heard of the city, but of course, it was the first time she had been there, or in Missouri for that matter.

"I don't consider these hotels," Damon said pointing to an unknown hotel they were just passing by.

"Sorry, Paris, but there's no Hilton in the vicinity," she answered sarcastically, but the smile from before was still stamped in her face.

"Too bad," she missed his knowing eyes as he answered her.

"Seriously, Damon, we've passed at least six hotels already. I only want a good night of sleep; I don't need a presidential suite," she said a few minutes later. She actually had some other plans, but she wouldn't divulge them to him.

"Look at that, it's a Marriott, it's not a Hilton, but it's better than a Holiday Inn," she pointed out, but Damon didn't slow down the car, continuing his route, leading her to sigh in defeat and rest against the car's seat.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" the vampire smirked after he drove around for a few more minutes.

"I can't believe it," Elena said under her breath.

"Who knew there _was_ a Hilton in Columbia, after all," his voice was filled with sarcasm and from the tone she figured he knew about the hotel before they had driven by it.

"The Marriott looked better, if you ask me," she shrugged, being honest. Maybe she was indeed spending too much time with him.

"You've been spending too much time with me," he said, and she thought for a moment he was capable of reading minds. Of course that wasn't the case, but it still surprised her how much he knew her and how much indeed he was influencing her.

"I don't see you complaining," she answered cockily.

"I'm definitely not," he winked at her, but at that moment she wanted nothing more than to take a long shower – preferably a bath – and Damon's indecision about a hotel wasn't helping her.

"So the Marriott or the Hilton?"

"Let's check the fees," he said making a quick research on his phone, and Elena couldn't believe that Damon Salvatore, rich posh vampire, who breathed luxury, was checking fees in a small city. It wasn't like the costs would be too expensive for him and she doubted there was a big difference between the price the two hotels charged.

After a couple of minutes he turned the car around, and headed to the Marriott they had passed by earlier.

"Aren't there available rooms in the Hilton?" she asked curiously.

"There are, but the Marriott fees are almost 40% more expensive," he simply shrugged.

"And?" she asked, but she wasn't really surprised. Of course Damon would choose to stay in the most expensive hotel.

"It means it's better," he answered simply, and she rolled her eyes. That was a stupid concept.

"Do you really believe the more expensive, the better?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Always." His smile was broad and cocky.

"You're wrong, Mr. Salvatore," she shook her head negatively.

"And you're getting the best bed this city has to offer, Ms. Gilbert," Damon offered once he parked in front of the awaiting valet.

"You're incorrigible," she offered with a small smile.

"You're absolutely right, and you secretly love it," he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. It would take a long time for him to get used to the freedom of doing whatever he wanted to her, whenever he wanted. It would never get too old.

"It's no secret actually," she answered once they broke apart, a cheesy smile flashing on her face.

"What can I say; I'm just a humble guy," he took her hand in his as they walked towards the reception.

"Oh yeah, humility is your biggest quality."

* * *

><p>There was a bathtub in the hotel after all, and Elena made great use of it while Damon paid a visit to the local hospital. She spent more than one hour in the bathroom, leaving the tub when the water became too cool and moving to the shower so she could rinse her body and wash her hair.<p>

When she entered the room again, a robe covering her naked and still wet body and a towel wrapped around her hair, she saw Damon sleeping on the bed. There was only one bed in the hotel room and she wasn't complaining. She had great plans for the night, but she would need to wake the vampire up if she was to put them into action.

She took a few more minutes admiring her boyfriend. Damon was a very handsome man, but there was something so sweet and even innocent in his features when he slept. She knew he could be really sweet and she pondered on how he was actually somewhat innocent when he met Katherine. Those traits however, weren't reserved for just when he was sleeping. She knew the innocence probably went away when he turned, but the way he took care of her and even Stefan and Alaric was sweet, under the disguise of his usual cocky and sarcastic personality. She loved him more and more as each day passed, and although she wanted to spend the rest of eternity with him, she also wanted to lead a normal life with him. But she knew kids wouldn't be part of her plans anymore. She had always wanted them, and she used to hope to get married in her twenties and start her family before she was thirty. Matt had been too eager when they dated, but the problem back then wasn't his plans but him. She wanted those things and maybe if she felt for him then the same way she felt about Damon now, she would have probably agreed with some of his plans. She wasn't willing to give up on a career, but getting married at an early age gave her the chance to enjoy her married life before kids and still have them while she was still young. Elena used to think a lot about those things before she dated Matt and she had her life sort of planned. But then she lost her parents and started dating vampires and all the plans she made didn't seem possible anymore. But looking at her vampire boyfriend now she had no regrets. She was sure Damon would make her happier than any kids could ever do.

"Baby, I already finished my shower, you can go if you want," she whispered, kissing his ear in the process.

"I'm hurt you didn't wait for me," he answered, his eyes still closed.

"I'll be here when you are done," she answered kissing his neck.

"If you don't stop that I won't stop myself from dragging you in that shower with me," he groaned, feeling his pants getting tight.

"I won't tease you anymore," she answered, detaching herself completely from him, and walking towards her suitcase on the floor.

"Maybe I should take my shower cold," he muttered.

"Don't be too frustrated," she smirked, as she started looking for her underwear.

"You'll be the death of me, Elena Gilbert," he looked for his own underwear in his bag. He was certain when he was done with his shower she would already be asleep and he didn't want to accidently wake her up with the light or any noise.

"Good thing you're already dead and with the prospect of living forever," she said, as she felt his arms embracing her from behind.

"You smell so good," he moaned kissing her neck just like she had done to him a few moments before.

"I'll wait for you," she answered simply, turning around to kiss him properly.

"I guess it'll require more than just a cold shower," he muttered again, but just like the first time she heard him just fine.

"No self-loving while I'm in the next room, Damon Salvatore," she said playfully, and he wasn't sure if she really meant it or not. He needed some release after seeing her with so little clothes and smelling so amazingly.

"You're mean," he pouted, and she wanted to attack his lips again, but she had other plans, so instead she slapped his butt.

"Go," she pushed him towards the bathroom.

* * *

><p>She was nervous. She had planned it carefully. The trip alone with him, the road trip to go back to Mystic Falls, the hotel instead of the motel and as far as she could say he didn't catch any of her certainly odd behavior. Except for the hotel, she didn't openly suggest anything else. She had to check on her brother, and he was more than happy to go with her. She knew he would never leave her on her own, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to go by herself either. Although he was the one who decided to rent a car instead of flying over, she had hinted on her need to breathe a little bit more before they faced Klaus and made their next move.<p>

She also made sure to go to the Victoria's Secret store while they were in Denver. Jeremy took them to have lunch in the mall and excusing herself from the food court; she quickly entered the lingerie store and got everything she needed in record time. Big purses were a blessing when you needed to hide secret purchases.

Damon wasn't sure if she would really mind if he released all the tension he felt in his body. He was nervous about the Klaus' thing, but there was also a lot of sexual tension he needed to get rid of. But maybe she was right and it was disrespectful for him to do it while she was in the adjoined room, so he resorted to only having a very cold shower and trying to relax as much as possible. He had never been more thankful for being a vampire – and therefore unaffected by temperature – than he was in that moment.

He didn't like sleeping with a lot of clothes, actually, if he was alone he would probably sleep naked, but in respect to his girlfriend he was going to wear boxers and sweat pants, although he only took his underwear with him to the bathroom. She said she was going to wait for him, and he wouldn't pass the chance to give her a taste of her own medicine. He could be a great teaser when he wanted to be. That being said, he hadn't been ready to see the picture in front of him when he opened the bathroom door and the smirk on his face was immediately fell away.

There, sitting in the middle of the bed, was Elena clad in only black, lacy lingerie. This wasn't something she'd usually do and she felt self-conscious, but the look in his eyes erased any insecurity she had about her body, position and intentions. She wasn't striking a sexy pose because she didn't know exactly what that would be; she just rested her back against the headboard and stretched her legs in front of her, a small gap left between her shaved limbs. He had never been so thankful for not giving himself the release he needed. The girl in front of him was a vision and even though her body was Katherine's carbon copy, it still took his breath away seeing her nearly naked for the very first time.

"I thought you were going to spend the night in there," she said, and he could catch the slight nervousness in her voice.

"If I knew what had been waiting for me outside I wouldn'thave even wasted time washing anything," he said as he took slow steps towards her, while his eyes devoured her body.

"I hope I don't look ridiculous and desperate now," she confessed.

"You look like perfection. That's the only way I can define you now," he said before closing the space between them and then the space between their lips.

"I want you," she whispered against his ear as soon as they broke apart and before he had a chance to answer the obvious, she was already kissing and biting his ear, neck, shoulder.

"I can smell your desire," he moaned letting her explore his bare upper body.

"I can _see_ yours," she said moving one of her hands to the bulge in his boxers. "And feel… and it feels marvelous," she continued touching him while she kissed his still wet chest.

"There are parts of your body that will agree with that. Probably enjoy it much better," he whispered, before quickly changing their position, placing her underneath his body.

"Vampire speed is cheating," she giggled, while he started kissing her just like she just did with him and her laughs promptly turned into pleasant moans.

"You won't think the same when I'm done with you," he said moving to her mouth, kissing her passionately while his hands explored her nearly naked body.

It didn't take long for their undergarments to make a pile at the foot of the bed. Their bodies joined as if they were one, as if they were missing parts of each other. There wasn't anything that didn't seem to fit perfectly. They soon found a steady pace and Elena thought she literally saw stars. She was thankful he never questioned if that was what she really wanted. She didn't know if his desire blinded his common sense or if he was really sure she would only look for him like that if that was what she really meant. She knew for sure her body cleared any doubt that may or may not have crossed his mind before he discarded her lacy lingerie.

He teased her more than she thought she was capable of enduring, but the nearly maddening feeling that consumed her before he finally allowed her to climax was paid off. She had never had an orgasm like the one he had just given her. Her whole body shook, and it seemed like her flesh was literally alive, having a life of its own. She knew for sure she hadn't known her body until Damon had possessed it and made it his. The way he chanted her name and cursed as she matched his thrusts and touched his body, especially the parts near where they were attached, assured her that she was pleasuring him as well. One of her biggest fears was never being able to satisfy a man like him. It wasn't only about the experience he had, having bedded more women than she could possibly try to count. It was how he seemed to exhale sex. She was convinced Damon mastered the art of making love and the way he made her feel just proved her wrong. The real thing wasn't nearly as close to how she expected it to be. She thought she was maybe overestimating his skills, but as she came for the second time she knew for sure she had _underestimated _him. She missed the target by far. Damon couldn't really be described and what he was making her body feel couldn't be defined.

"I can't resist anymore, I didn't expect to last this much after all the tease. That cold shower did nothing to help me," he said between moans and heavy breaths and she felt her lips curling up. She may not be the best he ever had, but she felt like she was pleasuring him maybe _almost _as much as he pleasured her.

"I'm not complaining," she somehow found her voice, and when she thought a third orgasm wasn't possible, she finally understood what he meant by the advantages of vampire speed, and in a mere few seconds they came almost together. He actually came first, but probably sensing she was close as well he used his skilled hands and the rest of the energy he had in his tank to keep moving. He moved to her side, not wanting to hurt her with his body. He had never felt like that. He had to be honest with himself. Elena wasn't that experienced for what he could tell but somehow she made the past thirty minutes the most memorable sex he had ever had. He couldn't form words or even catch his breath. She left him drained of energy and satisfied in a way he didn't think was possible.

"I love you," she whispered, moving to his side and kissing his neck, before comfortably snuggling into his still wet chest, though now it was more sweat than water.

He didn't answer, still not recovered from the experience. Physically he was just fine - he was a vampire after all. He didn't lie when he admitted his lack of longer stamina to hold back his own orgasm. But his body was relentless. He didn't feel physically incapable of moving or speaking, but somehow he couldn't properly react. His mind was still trying to process what had just happened, so he simply brought her close to him, holding her tight. "Me too," he finally voiced a few moments later.

They didn't even bother to put on some clothes. They felt more comfortable than they ever had before in their own skin. They let their tiredness – the good a post-sex tiredness – take over both of them and they just slept, holding onto each other.

* * *

><p>In the morning Elena could see, understand and especially <em>feel<em> what an energized and especially not sexually frustrated Damon was capable of. Somehow he found a way to prove her nearly formed theories wrong. If her fantasies and imagination didn't come close to describe what the real thing was, the previous night was almost nothing compared to what their morning had been. He took his time exploring each part of her body, in a way he didn't in their first time. She felt worshipped by his hands and lips. There wasn't one inch of her body he hadn't paid attention to. Although she had only two orgasms that morning they somehow gave her double the pleasure she felt the night before. When Damon finally released, he looked like he could just enter a sex marathon and still last for another hour, but she felt her body get sore and apologized for not being on par to his stamina level. He didn't expect her to be.

There was a feeling of happiness in a way neither of them had ever experienced. It was something like euphoria, and it filled their whole bodies, hearts and soul. It seemed cliché, but they felt fulfilled and complete. It was as if they finally felt whole, as if life finally made sense; it was a whole new world for them, one they weren't nearly ready to leave, but the ringing phones – the ones they had been ignoring since the morning, although Damon had been ignoring them since the middle of night – weren't going to help them in their new purpose.

There was nothing Elena wanted more than to live in a world where she and Damon could make love like rabbits and feel like they never felt before – although neither of them said how they felt. First, they knew it was pointless, they couldn't describe it themselves. Second, they were both positive the other felt just the same way based on the way their skin glowed and their eyes shone. But as her phone started ringing again, she moved to answer it. Damon protested slightly at the momentary lack of contact between their bodies, but Elena quickly repositioned herself against him as she answered Caroline's call.

"Hey," she answered her mobile sounding too cheery, but she couldn't help it.

"_Are you guys okay? We've been trying to contact you since two in the morning,_" the blonde said, and instead of finding herself being caught by the always so perceptive Caroline, Elena found herself catching something in her friend's tone.

"What happened?"

"_Tyler. Klaus… he… killed Tyler,_" the usually bubbly girl answered, not stopping the tears she thought had already dried as she kneeled in front of her boyfriend's grey body.

"Shit," was all Damon said, while Elena stayed unresponsive. Not only had she lost one of her close friends, not only had her best friend lost her boyfriend, but they probably lost the best shot they ever had to kill Klaus.

* * *

><p><em>AN: sorry for the long wait, but I have no inspiration to write this story anymore. I don't even read DE stories anymore, except maybe for a couple. I've been reading tons of Klaroline :P<em>

_so that was the first death, the others are following soon. I think there will be three more chapters. Give or take one. I love Tyler (and Forwood, despite loving Klaroline too) and it was hard killing him, but trust me the next deaths will be even harder to write and I care much more about those characters.  
><em>

_I want to thank my reviewers and readers and a special thanks to **Ash, (**CosmicButton) who was the beta for this chapter.  
><em>

_Talk to you (hopefully) soon  
><em>

_xoxo  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>


	24. XXIII

.

**XXIII**

* * *

><p>Although his first reaction had been to just curse, it didn't take him longer than a few moments to snap out of it. Tyler was their only hope if they didn't want to have anyone going on a suicidal mission and Damon knew there was only one person who would really go for it, himself. Although Stefan had been better these days, he wasn't completely stable yet and Damon had his doubts he would really kill Klaus knowing he would just be as dead at the end of it. Caroline no doubts wouldn't do it, especially now that she was mourning her boyfriend. Which only left him. When he looked at Elena who had finally been able to react and was now comforting a sobbing Caroline through the phone, Damon lost it. They had just made love for the first time a few hours ago, and he already had to think of giving up on the best feeling he had ever had in his undead life. There was nothing that could compare to having Elena in all possible ways, he finally felt complete as much as he hated himself for thinking so, but there was no other way. He wouldn't allow the Hybrid to keep using his girlfriend as a blood bag and kill her friends in the process.<p>

Just like that the anger and frustration within him grew and he just left. Elena saw when he walked away, without saying a word, and not saying much to her friend other than '_I gotta go_,' she hung up and followed him. As she reached the door of their hotel bedroom he was nowhere to be seen. Even though she had been busy comforting her best friend, from the corner of her eyes she had been observing him as well. She saw her boyfriend transforming just by her side and when he finally stood up and walked away she knew he had snapped.

They weren't far from the university and if he left for what she thought he left for, she knew his best option was the campus. She ran faster than she thought she was able to and she was sure she could be on the Olympic team with her sprint speed. The tears falling from her eyes blurred her vision, but still she didn't stumble on her way to Columbia University. The campus was big and not knowing where to begin she felt her hot tears intensify against her skin. She thought maybe the most deserted area would be his first option and walking around she tried to figure out where that could be. As expected there were a lot of students everywhere and she cried harder knowing that Damon could have already killed a dozen of them by then. It seemed like they were renovating or building a new building as she approached the east side of the campus. There weren't many people around that area and she sprinted there hoping she would find Damon.

She ran faster and faster around the building until she was finally close to the back corner. That was when she heard his voice. He was speaking quite loudly and she was thankful she had found him, although she didn't know what to expect once she finally turned the corner. When she was finally able to see the picture in front of her, she was relieved to know the girl was still breathing, her skin intact as Damon cornered her against the wall, an arm on each side of the blonde's body.

"Is it or isn't it fucked up, Vanessa? When I finally thought maybe I didn't need to be human again to finally feel, to finally have it. Just when being human wasn't the most important thing for me anymore I'll just have to die! He must die!," Damon yelled at the girl's face, with his vampire features showing.

He could feel her presence, but he was so lost it seemed like although his body sensed her, his brain didn't process it, and it wasn't until she touched his arm, that he instinctually shoved her from him, throwing her a few meters away from him, he realized that it was Elena.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, not moving his eyes from Vanessa because he didn't know what he would do if he saw he actually hurt her physically.

"Let her go, Damon, compel her to forget and go," Elena pleaded from the ground, trying not to show the physical pain she was enduring. He had hit her hard and she fell on her arm, which must have been broken for the pain she was feeling.

"Stay away from me, go away, Elena," his eyes still locked in Vanessa's terrified gaze.

"Damon, please," her voice was soft and weak as she did her best not to cry harder. She was crying for her dead friend, her best friend, herself – both physically and emotionally – but above all she was crying for him. She didn't know how her brain still worked at that moment, but the words he said to the girl just as she carefully approached him, broke her heart. What he wanted the most was to be human, the one thing he could never have. The one thing he was the farthest from at that moment and the one thing he wasn't.

"At least compel her to stay still," Elena changed her strategy, hoping it would work as he didn't move from his position or tried to compel the girl.

"Can't you take a hint? I don't want you here, I'm about to kill this girl, I'll rip her throat open and I'm sure you won't like the view," he said through clenched teeth.

"It's you who won't take a hint, Damon. I won't leave your side, no matter what happens," she said finally reaching him again after she limped her way to where he stood, "no matter what you do," she continued, as she cupped his vampire face and made him look at her for the first time, "no matter who you are," she finished and the tender and loving gaze really touched his heart, although his problems were deeper than just that.

"I can't stop it, Elena, please, go away, it's bigger than me," he softly spoke, his eyes closed, his expression regretful.

"It's okay if you can't stop it, but I won't leave you, I won't ever abandon you," her voice was soft, and didn't hold any judgment. Her love and compassion took his breath away.

"I don't want to hurt you… more" he whispered and for the first time she saw a tear figuring Damon's face.

"I'm okay, it's okay, I'll be right here," she took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"That's the only way I can release everything that is suffocating me, Elena," his voice was barely audible, especially with Vanessa's loud breathing.

"Okay," she gently caressed his face with her thumb.

He opened his eyes and saw her smiling genuinely at him.

"If you can't stop yourself, then do it, I'll be here with you," she added, kissing his cheek.

"Don't scream," Damon said to the shaking girl between his arms.

Elena moved her left hand from his face to his hair, while her right hand still held his.

"I won't stop, Elena," he warned, and she continued her ministrations.

"Shhh," she only muttered, as she saw the man she loved breaking apart, and also, breaking her heart.

Damon leaned closer to Vanessa, but stopped only an inch from her neck's pulse point.

"I love you," Elena said the moment his fangs grazed the girl's skin, breaking it easily.

He could feel the taste of the blonde's blood, mixed with fear and terror. It tasted just like he expected it to taste, but he couldn't proceed with sucking.

He moved his head from her neck and rested his forehead against the girl's, while he breathed heavily.

"It wasn't a lie, or something romantic to say, Damon. I love you just the way you are," Elena reassured him, seeing how he was conflicted, troubled and lost, even if all she could see was his profile, while his eyes were closed and his body was pressing against Vanessa's. "If that's what you need to do now, just do it. But if you can resist, let her go. I'll be here through all of this either way,"

"Go back to class and forget any of this ever happened or that you ever saw any of us," he opened his eyes a minute later, compelling the girl to leave, but not before feeding her a little bit of his blood. He only scratched her neck, but he was still in control of his sanity to know he couldn't send her to class with a bleeding – even if slightly – neck.

As one of his arms fell down by his side, the girl walked slowly towards the other side of the campus. Once she wasn't between him and the wall, Damon simply felt his knees give away leading him to meet the wet grass.

"I would have loved you just the same if we had to find a way to get rid of her body now," Elena crouched by his side, wrapping his shoulder with her arm.

"How can you love a monster?" his voice was loud and filled with rage. In that moment he couldn't hate himself any more and the fact that she was supporting him through all of that was driving him crazy, but at the same time it was helping him. His words to her couldn't be more honest. She didn't deserve a monster; she shouldn't have to love a monster. It didn't feel right. But Elena had a different opinion on that matter.

"You're not a monster," she carried on her caresses on his hair; she knew it was one of the things that usually relaxed him the most. During their trip she had done it a few times and he asked her to stop if she didn't want him to crash the car because he was falling asleep.

"If you didn't arrive here I would have killed her and I would have enjoyed every second of it," there was so much hate and despair in his voice, she was barely to hold back her tears after seeing him hurt that much. It would have been much easier watching him hurt the scared girl instead of watching him hurt like this. She knew she should feel bad for feeling that way, but Damon had had enough pain through all his existence. She would give anything in the world to just end his pain and stop his suffering. And to be honest she didn't mind if it included a row of dead bodies. She would feel bad for them later, but now all she could think about was her boyfriend and maybe even bring someone for him to drain. She was desperate, and she had never faced a deeper pain than that one.

"You would have hated it as well," she offered a few moments later. She knew the only reason why he was hurting so much was because he wished he didn't need to do that. Maybe that was the way to help him. It was clear now that pushing him to do what he had to do wouldn't help. Of course it only made it worse that he didn't kill the girl in the end because the beast inside of him still needed to be fed. She could only imagine what he was going through and that was enough to break her heart over and over again, with every breath she took.

"But I would have killed her just the same," his voice was now just a whisper.

"You didn't," Elena offered, bringing his body to rest against her chest while she wrapped him in her arms.

"You won't be by my side every time, Elena. You only found me this time because you were lucky and I was predictable," he spoke after several minutes of silence.

"Just tell me, Damon, why didn't you kill her?" she dared ask.

"I don't know," he closed his eyes, feeling like the worse man in the world. He had failed her. He had failed the woman he loved. He believed her when she said she would be with him through it, even if he had killed the student. But he felt like the worst human being for making her go through it. The irony of that thought wasn't lost on him. He couldn't be the worst human being because he wasn't human at all, although all the emotions he felt in that moment couldn't be more human.

"Yes, you do, try harder. You told me you have to kill because it's the only way you can release the emotions suffocating you. So what happened?" her voice was soft and strong at the same time. She knew she was pushing it, but she was following her instincts. He needed that more than he needed to be soothed.

"I don't know," he repeated his previous answer, as he let her heartbeat calm him down.

"What happened to the rage? The bloodlust? What are you feeling right now?" she continued to push while she tenderly stroked his hair.

"Unfulfilled, unsatisfied, thirsty, hungry, angry," he tried to focus on her heartbeat rather than on his feelings.

"But somehow you didn't drain her, I don't think you even fed on her, there was barely a puncture when you healed her," she broke their body contact, unaware of the fact that her heartbeat was doing him so much good.

"I didn't want you to see that, I didn't want you to show me love while I behaved liked a monster," he looked into her eyes and this time he didn't hold back his tears, they simply rolled down on his face, nonstop, forming rivers of pain and shame.

"I didn't want to do that either, Damon, but if that's the price I have to pay, I'll gladly do it, without any regrets," she closed her eyes while speaking because if she kept seeing his tears she wouldn't be able to still hold hers and she was a step away from having a meltdown. But she couldn't do that, it would break him ever more and he would feel guiltier or even worse.

"You can't be okay with that, I'm not okay with that, Elena," he yelled at her, suddenly standing up and starting to pace.

"And that's why, I'm here, by your side, just like I said I would. I know you hate this even more than I do, Damon," she yelled back at him. If she was angry about his stubbornness and refusal to accept her help, she wouldn't cry. It wasn't the supportive tone she knew he needed, but it was the only tone she could manage to use without breaking down harder than him.

"Someday you won't be lucky to find me," his bitterly remarked.

"I know," her voice was small again. It killed her that he was right, but what really hurt wasn't the fact that he would kill someone because she wouldn't make it in time to stop him. It was the fact that he would go through that alone again. Feeling guilty, sick of himself, and feeling lost, broken, and alone. The loneliness was the worst part of it. She could see it in his eyes that he didn't think anyone should or would be around him while he killed someone else simply because killing was what he needed to quiet his soul.

"And it won't happen only once," he continued on his self-depreciation.

"Probably," her voice was stronger because she needed to be stronger for her man, more than she ever needed to be before. Not even when she faced Klaus and death did she needed to be this brave. But her love for him knew no limits. There wasn't anything unreachable for Elena Gilbert when it came to Damon Salvatore.

"Someday it'll be too much for you to bear," he laughed humorlessly. Of course at some point she would be fed up and he would be alone again because he was never enough for anyone.

"No Damon, someday I won't need to be around for you to stop. Someday you'll go for me instead of going for them," she reached his hands, holding them tight while hope and joy glowed on her face. She was more certain of those words than about the sun over their heads.

"That day may never happen," he found himself answering although the certainty in her eyes did something to his emotions. He felt something changing inside him, but he couldn't assess what it was exactly.

"I know, but I'll hold you close each and every time it happens, hoping that it'll be the last time I'll need to do it," she answered, wrapping her arms around him and holding him with her life. Somehow that had been enough for him to just forget all the other emotions that were driving him crazy.

* * *

><p>They stayed a little while longer at the university, before heading back to the hotel. It was already midday and Damon would have to pay for another reservation. Elena decided they needed more time for themselves before hitting the road again. Maybe they shouldn't leave until the next day because she wanted to be there for him. He needed her.<p>

"I didn't know it was you," he said while they lay in the bed. She was sprawled against his chest, while he stroked her hair, his eyes lost in the white ceiling.

"Nothing some magical blood doesn't cure in a couple of minutes," she playfully answered. And he indeed fed her his blood because when the adrenaline decreased in her system she couldn't even walk back to the hotel because of the pain in her arm.

He was silent and she knew it would take a while for him to stop being guilty. Actually if she knew him well, he would probably never forgive himself or forget what he did.

"You made me a promise, Damon," she decided it was the best moment to acknowledge one of the biggest problems she had with this morning events.

"I'm a man of my word, Elena," he answered not knowing exactly what she meant. He was positive she wasn't backing out in her supportive actions towards his deepest and darkest needs.

"Then why did you tell the girl you had to die? You promised you wouldn't be the one to kill Klaus," she offered, a silent tear kissing her olive skin.

"If I don't, nobody will," he simply answered. Only thinking about Tyler's death was enough to work him up again. He could feel the emotions coming in waves and he knew soon they would be like a tsunami again. After all he never really got his release. He got something else he couldn't even describe, but everything was still there, inside of him.

"Then let him live,"

"And treat you like an object, a blood bag nonetheless? Not going to happen and you know it," he simply stated.

"We could run," she suggested, feeling helpless.

"I don't want that life for you," his tone didn't give any space for disagreements.

"And I don't want a life without you," she cried, muffling the sound of her sobs in his chest.

"I could die even if I don't kill him," was the best he could say in that moment. He knew he made a promise, but it seemed like Klaus had not only seven, but infinite lives. Every time they were close to killing him, something happened and they were back at square one. Except this time they had stakes that could kill the hybrid a thousand times if they needed to. He wouldn't let the chance pass, even if he was the one who had to do it.

"I knew this was one of the things I couldn't trust you on," she whispered, still crying in his chest, that was already wet with her tears.

"You know you would do just the same for me," he held her closer, if that was even possible. He didn't want to lose her, he didn't want to die, but he couldn't find another way. It wasn't like they could just create an army of vampires as each one of them failed to kill Klaus.

"And that's why I won't let you do it," she said, relieved that she would stop him, almost forgetting her plan.

"Don't do anything stupid, Elena, that's the last thing we need," he nearly threatened her.

"I won't and neither will you," she muttered, deciding that it was better if they didn't speak about it anymore.

* * *

><p>It took them a while but in the following evening they finally saw the 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' sign on the road. They were both exhausted and things were still tense between them. Although they got to spend another night at a hotel, nothing happened between them. They were both exhausted not only physically, but emotionally. The tension in the car could be cut with a knife and they knew the problems they had to face upon arriving in Mystic Falls would only make things more difficult. They just wished they would survive whatever expected them.<p>

Damon was cautious about the originals and decided to drop Elena off at her house – where none of them, but Elijah was invited in. She wanted to be with him, but she knew it'd be fruitless to try to convince him otherwise. She needed a shower more than anything else, and maybe she could at least convince him to sleep over with her once while he dealt with whatever he had to deal in the boarding house.

Damon didn't know for sure if his suspicions were right or not, but the moment he entered the boarding house he was proved right. There, sitting in the couch was Kol Mikaelson. The older Salvatore had been keeping contact with the gang in Mystic Falls and Stefan had said that Kol had been in the house for the past three days, even when he assured him Damon wouldn't be back for a couple of days.

"I suppose you have things that belong to me," Kol didn't look like the sarcastic and witty vampire Damon saw on previous occasions. He was dead serious and he could be just as intimidating as his two older brothers.

"Good night to you too," Damon smirked sarcastically at the younger Original brother.

Kol ran from his place to where Damon was standing and wasted no time compelling the vampire, "Go retrieve whatever Sage sent to me," his pupils dilated, but Damon didn't move or blinked. He just stood as a statue in front of Kol who had a frown on his face. Seeing the Original vampire's confusion Damon burst out in laughter and giggles.

"I just compelled you!" Kol threw a tantrum. Now that was more like the version Damon got used to in the brief interactions they had prior to that day.

"It's called vervain, but as I said I would, I'm going to give you the letter and the package Sage asked me to deliver to you, I just had an emergency trip to do," Damon said moving towards the staircase.

"Don't think you're funny, Salvatore, I could kill you before you could even blink,"

"I'll be right back," Damon dismissed Kol's threat totally as he went to his bedroom to collect the objects he just mentioned.

When he went back into the den, the Original simply jumped on him, taking the letter and the small package from Damon's hands.

"I'll give you some privacy, I suppose my brother is around somewhere?" Damon announced before he went to the basement. Since the episode with Vanessa he hadn't fed and he didn't have a stash of blood bags with him during the trip. He had planned to steal them as needed, but given the last couple of days' events, he just couldn't stop at a hospital, let alone find someone to feed from.

Kol opened the letter quickly, his eyes not believing what he was reading. The letter described to him as succinctly as possible how she had spent the last nine centuries in the Dark Zone. She described the city in details, the government system, the difficulties, the enchanted tree that stood in the middle of the city. Sage shared everything with him; there was not one detail she didn't share with him. She also gave as many details as possible of her own life in the cursed city. There wasn't much to say, but she wanted him to know that she had lived relatively fine while he was gone. The small package consisted of a very small jewelry bag and when he opened it he found a locket. Inside there was a recent picture of her and she was just as he remembered. Beautiful, sweet, strong, delicate, fierce, and intimidating. Words couldn't describe what he felt for that woman, but something was off. Why would she need to send him a letter summarizing the past nine centuries? Why couldn't she tell all those things once they met?

"Salvatore!" Kol yelled, but when Damon passed by him, in vampire speed, he didn't stop to acknowledge the Original.

"I need answers," Kol demanded following Damon outside.

"Elena's in danger," was the only thing Damon said before he sped away even faster towards her house. He would take less time running instead of going by car and breaking all speed limits.

Kol didn't think longer than a couple of seconds before following Damon towards the human's house.

* * *

><p>Damon almost brought the door down when he entered the house. Elena called him, crying, her words barely audible, while loud bangs echoed in the background. The only intelligible words Damon caught were 'he's trying to kill me', but that wasn't reassuring. Who could try to kill her inside the house? None of their enemies had access to the house. Although he didn't trust Elijah like his girlfriend blindly trusted him, he knew the Original vampire had no reason whatsoever to kill Elena.<p>

He ran up the stairs and when he finally arrived at the second floor he couldn't believe his eyes. His best friend, her guardian, the only guy he really trusted was destroying the bathroom's door with a bat. Damon couldn't see blood anywhere, but his nostrils sensed it, and he could identify that smell miles away. It was Elena's blood.

"Are you out of your mind?" Damon yelled at his best friend, taking him by the shoulders and throwing him a few feet away.

"Get out of my way," Alaric said and Damon couldn't believe his eyes. There was something evil about the man he knew so well, but that now stood in front of him as if he was a stranger.

"Ric, what the hell man?" the vampire tried, but when the human used the baseball bat to break the stairs' banister to make a stake. He knew Alaric was out of his mind. He looked at the man's hands, but couldn't see his ring. Killing Alaric was not an option and he wouldn't simply kill his best friend without knowing what was happening. The teacher had always cared a lot about the Gilbert kids. He even gave him a lecture or two about his then platonic relationship with Elena. Why would he try to kill the girl he loved as if she was his daughter?

"She has to die, all vampires and the ones that are on their side must die," the man answered enraged before jumping on Damon.

The vampire's reflexes were superior to the human's and he easily unarmed Alaric, throwing the stake he made away. Damon could hear Elena's cries through the nearly destroyed door. She probably pulled the small cabinet they had in their bathroom in front of the door, and it was a miracle Alaric didn't get inside as the cabinet was really fragile and light.

He looked at the unrecognizable man in front of him and knowing that Alaric didn't seem to wake up from his trance, he did the only thing he could. He beat the life out of Alaric. Punches, kicks, slaps, Damon didn't spare anything from his repertoire. He made sure though he didn't kill Alaric. He was just going to be severely injured, and after he passed out, Damon would feed him his blood.

When the human was barely breathing on the floor, Damon stopped, realizing his friend was already unconscious. He immediately went to the bathroom door, knocking lightly.

"It's me, he's out, you can open the door," Damon announced from outside the bathroom.

It took her a few seconds, and he could hear her pulling the cabinet away.

"Oh, Damon," she threw herself in his arms as soon as she opened the door.

The moment she stepped out, the scent of her blood became almost unbearable. She was bleeding a lot, both her arm and leg cut by a knife which only Damon now spotted a few feet away from the door.

"Is he…?" she asked looking at Alaric's body on the floor a few meters away. Damon didn't think twice before biting on his wrist and offering it to her.

"No, he's only unconscious, but barely, I'm going to call the witch and ask her to come over and figure out a way to fix him. I can't have him in the house if he's not himself these days," Damon offered, his voice sounding broken and tired, while she fed on him.

"I'll call her," Elena felt the wounds on her body starting to heal and she knew she had had enough.

"I'm going to take him downstairs," Damon said.

"No, put him on Jenna's bed," Elena suggested as she went downstairs to retrieve her phone that she remembered leaving on the side table by the door, along with her purse and duffel bag.

When she reached the side table, she realized Damon had left the door opened, but there was something odd. She could hear the swing on the porch, and before she could think better about it, probably because of her still shocked condition, she stepped outside to see what was going on. But there wasn't anyone on the swing. When she turned on her heels to get back inside her body collided with another firm one, and before she had a chance to react, her mouth was covered, and her body pressed against the vampire's.

Damon was sitting by his friend's side, his face leaning against his joined hands when his phone vibrated on his pocket.

I have your girlfriend, in a house, and I'm the only vampire invited in. Come to 84 Avery Street when the vervain is out of your system. I'm not a patient man, and unlike my brother, the doppelganger is just another bitch in the world for me, one I won't think twice before draining. Damon read in the message that already had a picture of an unconscious Elena attached. How Kol could have taken her when it hadn't even been two minutes since she went downstairs? How did he enter the house? Damon didn't have the answer to those questions, but holding the same phone that would probably make Kol even more unstable, he knew he needed a plan, otherwise Elena would be dead.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I really didn't take as long in this one, I feel proud. I also outlined the story, and if the division I did works exactly as I did, all the plots I have will be wrapped up in three more chapters in addition to an epilogue.<em>

_This is one of my favorite chapters in this story because of the moment shared between Elena and Damon. Elena knows what he does is wrong and she doesn't support him taking human lives, but she also knows he doesn't do it out of a whim, but because he can't stop himself. She'll try to help him and she knows it includes supporting him even if he kills someone. She's hopeful she'll be able to help him. I wish there was more time for me to write one or two more occasions in which she has to do the same, but next chapters will be filled with action - and deaths - and there's no time for Damon to have a crises like that and Elena help him again.  
><em>

_Next chapter - the battle happens, leaving two fatalities. The following chapter another two fatalities. And then there's a lot of explanation in the following before we finally have the epilogue.  
><em>

_Thanks to **Daniela, **for being my beta to this chapter :)  
><em>

_I want to thank the (few) people who still review this story. It means a lot to me. The 3-4 reviews I received in the last few chapters certainly don't help my lack of will to keep writing it. But I won't back out on my word to finish this story, regardless of the almost nonexistent support I have from people.  
><em>

_Talk to you soon,  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>


	25. XXIV

.

**XXIV**

* * *

><p>The moment the feeling of shock passed, Damon started breaking everything around him. Every time he found Elena in danger his patience would evaporate and the only thing he would see was red. But, he knew he had to keep calm so he could think of a plan to rescue her.<p>

He doubted Elena had a chance to call Bonnie and the first thing he did was contact the witch. He still had to do something about his best friend, and he just hoped the witch would have a better alternative than the useless herbs she had been feeding the teacher for the past couple of weeks.

Bonnie agreed to meet him immediately at the Gilbert's house and also let the rest of the gang know about what happened. Damon had no idea where his brother was though. When he arrived at the house and found Kol there, Stefan wasn't anywhere to be found, but he couldn't think of Stefan right now. While Elena went downstairs, he not only moved Alaric to Jenna's old bedroom, but also fed him his blood. He knew his friend was in bad shape – emotionally – and he didn't want to add any more physical aspect than he already had. Also he couldn't risk killing Alaric. He had no intention to kill his best and only friend in a very long time. Now that he had Elena and it seemed like Stefan wasn't as bad as he used to be, he knew he could only count on those three. While the rest of the gang – maybe with the exception of Jeremy – wasn't throwing rocks on him anymore, he also knew they only tolerated him because of Elena and because he was often useful to them.

It didn't take long for Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan to enter the house. They went straight to the second floor, finding Damon sitting in a chair by Alaric's unconscious body.

"What happened?" Caroline asked noticing the bathroom door they just passed by.

"It seems like witch's herbs weren't that much better than marijuana and Alaric went all psycho on Elena," Damon answered sarcastically, while Bonnie rolled her eyes, checking on Alaric vitals.

"Bonnie told us Kol has Elena, how come?" Stefan asked, with his usual frown on his face.

"That's what I want to find out as well, brother. Where were you by the way?"

"Hunting," Stefan answered simply.

"Bunnies? Are you back to being the forest terror?" Damon quipped, but Stefan didn't answer.

"They have your girlfriend and still you find it appropriate to be funny, forgive me if I forgot to laugh," Stefan answered, and the air in the room got even heavier.

"Kol won't do anything to Elena. He wants to compel me to let him know where the Dark Zone is, but he's a little bit late on that. Sage already compelled me not to say a word," Damon explained and he really hoped he was right. If there was an Original they could never trust it would be Kol. Elijah and Klaus would actually think before they acted and although Rebekah was a spoiled bitch, she normally planned her actions just like her older brothers. Kol on the other hand, seemed to be the wildest of them all.

"And how do you think he'll react when he learns it? He's quite reckless, even more than yourself, I don't think he'll kiss Elena goodnight when you let him know you can't say where his lover is," Caroline acknowledged, and Damon was actually silent, a thin line on his lips.

"We need a plan," Stefan stated.

"The vervain won't leave my system for another day, probably longer. Vampires don't sweat and pee like humans and I don't know any other way to get it out," he said frustrated that he had to wait for so long while a psycho held Elena captive.

"Losing blood," Stefan said, more to himself than to Damon.

"I didn't think of that," Damon said, his face illuminating.

"It's stupid to weaken yourself when you're going to face Kol. He knows it takes a while for the vervain to be out of your system. Just keep in touch with him and make him let you know Elena is alright," Bonnie said, and Damon slightly nodded, knowing she was right.

"What about Alaric?" Caroline asked, looking at the man lying in the bed.

"It's up to the witch. I don't think he should have access to the house anymore. Maybe you could work on a spell to keep him out of the house? He can stay in the Boarding House if he doesn't want to go back to his apartment," Damon suggested. He knew Alaric would feel awful when he woke up, but he also knew his friend would agree with him.

"We don't have to worry about him for another day or two. Once we have Elena back I'll do the spell. It's better to have him where other vampires can't get inside," the witch answered, and Damon nodded. He wanted to give his friend a chance to decide his own fate.

"Which brings us back to how Kol captured Elena in the first place," Stefan pointed, and they all remained silent.

"Do you think Alaric invited him in while you and Elena were out? He's the only one who lives here and who was here the past few days," Caroline asked, not being able to think of anything else.

"I don't think so. Regular Ric had no reason to do it, Crazy Ric much less. The one thing he hates the most is vampires, and Kol is not only a vampire, but an Original, the last thing Psycho Ric would do would be to invite Kol in," Damon explained and they all agreed. It made no sense for Alaric to invite Kol inside the house, no matter what state he was in.

"Maybe Elena went outside, maybe he attracted her somehow, there's no other way for a vampire to enter a house, he had to be invited in and the only people who still live here are Elena and Alaric. We must clear out the option that someone invited him in," Stefan said, and Damon stopped to think about it. That was the only other possible thing that could have happened.

"Elena wouldn't be so naïve," Bonnie stated. Going outside would have been stupid, and she knew Elena was better than that.

"Her guardian had just stabbed her with a knife twice, she was trapped in her own bathroom, praying the small cabinet she pulled against the door would be enough to keep him from coming in and finishing the job. When she finally opened the door for me, she thought I had killed Alaric because he was as good as dead after I was done with him. I don't think she was in her best frame of mind when she went downstairs to call you," Damon answered somewhat angrily at Bonnie. Who did they think they were to judge Elena's actions? She wasn't stupid, but she had been through a lot, most things they had no idea of, since they went to the Dark Zone. It was a miracle she still woke up sane every day.

"Damon is right," Stefan agreed and so did Caroline, who nodded her head.

"I gave Alaric my blood, he won't die on us, when he wakes up, and I don't think it'll happen before tomorrow, we'll see what he decides to do with himself," Damon suggested tiredly.

"And what are going to do about Elena?"

"We have one or two days to come up with a plan, and it has to be the perfect plan, we can't risk her life in the hands of that crazy," Damon said through clenched teeth.

"What if we don't wait until the vervain was out of your system; Kol doesn't know when the last time you ingested it was," Stefan suggested. He was growing anxious and concerned about Elena, and having to fight his human blood urges all at the same time was slowly driving him to his breaking point.

"And risk angering him while he still holds Elena captive? Not a chance in hell. We don't know what he'll do to make me prove I can be compelled and if he thinks I'm lying I'm sure he'll make her suffer to prove his point, we'll have to wait," Damon reasoned back, although just like his brother, he didn't want to wait so long. There were a lot of things Kol could do to Elena in the time span of two days. The brothers – even the one who lost her – loved Elena too much to just let time pass without doing anything to rescue her. It would make them insane to wait a couple of days, but at the same time they knew they had to. Waiting was their best shot, even if they didn't know how they were going to actually do it.

"Just make sure you don't lose blood, you can't afford being weak when you go to see him," the younger Salvatore reasoned, knowing he wouldn't be in his best shape as it was. Caroline was still mourning Tyler, and wasn't in her best shape either and although Damon was now the most affected by Elena's kidnapping, he was still their best chance to rescue her if they needed violence to do it.

"Are you going to go alone?" Caroline asked, as if reading Stefan's mind about who should go and who shouldn't.

"I don't know, he didn't mention I had to go alone," Damon answered.

"Do you think Klaus knows of his plans?" the female vampire asked again, and they knew that was just her way of reacting. No matter the situation, and how affected she was by it; Caroline Forbes just couldn't stay silent. When she is as tense and worried as she was now, she asked thousand – and the most pointless – questions.

"It doesn't make a difference if he does," Damon answered promptly. For once Klaus wasn't in his thoughts.

"Except that he wants Elena to be safe and sound just as much as we want her to be. He could be a good ally," the blonde reasoned, but Damon didn't seem convinced about it.

"I don't trust the son of a bitch," he said through tight lips.

"He knows Kol better than we do, he may be useful when you go there," Stefan supported Caroline, and Damon knew it was a valid point.

"I guess I can't think tonight, my brain shut down," the older Salvatore brother said, burying his head in his hands.

"We should all rest," Bonnie suggested.

"Make sure to keep contact with him; demand to talk to her," Stefan suggested, and Damon nodded. The other three awake people in the room made their way towards the door, but there was one more thing they needed to know.

"There's something else…" Damon said as they motioned to leave.

"What?" Caroline sighed.

"This," Damon took his phone and played Sage's video to them.

"Oh my God," Caroline said bringing her hands to her mouth once the short video ended.

"Are you going to show him that?" Stefan asked clearly disturbed by the video, just like everyone in the room.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bonnie answered the younger Salvatore.

"What if you exchange Elena for the video?" Caroline suggested.

Damon who was still looking at the device in his hands, shocked and overwhelmed, barely noticing their words, but when Caroline spoke he finally looked up.

"It may not work; we can't risk him threatening Elena with one more thing," Stefan quickly opposed to the idea.

"He'll be pissed when he finds out you were compelled, it's the best shot we have. I don't see how else we could convince him to hand Elena over," Caroline insisted and they actually stayed silent for a few moments, thinking of the possibilities, "Our first priority should be finding a way for him to hand Elena over, even if only long enough for Damon to speed away with her," she completed.

"It's a plan, maybe not the best or the safest, but it's all we have for now. You all should just go home so we can come up with something else. I'll let him know I'll be looking for him as soon as the vervain is out of my system," Damon suggested. He was drained by the last few days' events.

"Are you staying?" Stefan asked, although he knew the answer.

"Yes, someone has to be here when Ric wakes up," Damon answered, but they both knew Damon wouldn't spend the night in Jenna's old bedroom. Elena's bed would be waiting for him the moment the others left.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Bonnie said, walking out of the room.

"Blondie," Damon called out, making Caroline roll her eyes at the nickname. She hated it.

"I'm sorry about Tyler," he said when she looked at him.

Caroline was surprised by his words. She didn't expect Damon to acknowledge her loss, especially after an intense day like today.

She only nodded, offering him a small smile, while he looked honestly sorrowful.

* * *

><p>The two days couldn't pass any slower and it was driving Damon crazy. He had spent most of his time outside the house where Kol was keeping Elena hostage. He knew she was alive and well, and he also knew Kol had been compelling her to tell him things.<p>

The vervain was out of her system much earlier than it was out of Damon's and when Kol was sure she couldn't resist his compulsion he started to ask all sort of questions about the Dark Zone. Elena assured him that both she and Damon had been compelled to forget how to go back to the horrid place. She had said that while she was still in control of her mind and repeated the exact same words when he compelled her. She kept praying he wouldn't compel her to say anything related to the video. She knew Damon didn't mention the video yet, and Kol had no idea about it, but there were so many questions the youngest Original could ask that could make her reveal the video.

As much as she didn't want the images to still be in her mind, they were intact, and if Kol suspected there was something else Sage left for him, he would make her describe the video and she didn't know what he would do once he found out about it. He had been going out of his mind knowing that Sage didn't want him to go to the Dark Zone. He couldn't accept that she was choosing to live an eternity without him.

At first the Original kept her in a bedroom on the second floor of a fancy two-story house. While she was on vervain he kept her chained to the bed, but once she could be compelled he simply compelled her not to move from the bed. Elena didn't know which one was worse because wanting to move and knowing she couldn't was more extenuating than not being able to move at all. She couldn't help, but try to fight against the compulsion, especially when she wanted to go to the bathroom. The first day she would call him to let her use the bathroom and he just said no. She held as much as possible, but at some point her bladder couldn't hold it back anymore. She was disgusted with the state she was in, and when she could finally be compelled, he allowed her to go to the bathroom when she wanted, compelling her to stay in the bathroom instead of coming back to the bedroom.

Somehow she sensed Damon was outside, she didn't know for sure, but she could feel his presence, so while she stayed in the bathroom, she whispered knowing he would hear. She didn't say much except how much she loved him, and how she wanted this to finally be over. The past month had been intense, so many deaths and problems, she was tired, and just wanted some time to mourn what she had already lost, instead of having to face a new challenge every day. She cried a lot, and it broke Damon's heart. He knew she couldn't endure much more and that was when he decided to head to the Mikaelson's mansion. He couldn't risk losing Elena, or for her to go through any more awful things. He was going to let Klaus know about everything his brother did, and maybe, he could just kill two birds with one stone.

* * *

><p>It took him nearly forty-eight hours, but finally all the vervain was out of his body.<p>

Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie went with him to the house that he barely left since Kol kidnapped Elena. The others wouldn't make their presence known unless they were really needed. They thought about trying to rescue Elena from the bathroom where she was being held while Damon negotiated with Kol, but that would be their last option because they knew it was really risky.

"I'm here," Damon says, not bothering to knock on the door.

When Kol opened the door, Damon's heart fell even harder. The Original looked more than reckless. He looked completely lost, desperate and crazy as he stood inside the house, acknowledging the vampire's presence. There was a lot of blood on his shirt, and even on his face, but Damon knew he hadn't been feeding on Elena, rather on the house's owner. Kol looked wild and out of his mind with his hair in a mess while he held a disoriented gaze as he talked.

"Tell me where the Dark Zone is!" he promptly compelled Damon, who was just a couple of feet away from him, the house's invisible shield separating the two vampires.

"I don't know, Sage erased my memories about the location," Damon answered mechanically.

"Why would she do that?" Kol yelled, as he ran his bloody hand through his hair, making it even more disheveled and dirtier.

"She doesn't want you to go to such a place. A spell was done at the place and all the Ancients aren't allowed to leave it,"

"I could find a witch to break the spell, there are always loopholes in spells," the infuriated Original continued to yell.

"Hand Elena over, there's nothing she or I can do to help you," Damon demanded, and for a moment he was surprised to see the Original yell for Elena. But the human was still compelled not to leave the bathroom and she didn't come when he called.

"You compelled her to stay inside, she won't leave until you remove your compulsion or compel her to do so," Damon said, trying the best to keep his composure.

Kol didn't acknowledge Damon's words in any other way, but he just walked away. In just a few seconds he was back, holding Elena by the arm, more forcefully than he needed as Damon could see his girlfriend grimacing at the strength the Original's grip had on her.

"You won't move," he compelled her once again, just some inches away from the door, standing by his side.

"What else do you want?" Damon asked impatiently. Seeing Elena struggling and hurting like that was driving him crazy. He tried to reach for her, although he knew it was impossible, and his efforts just proved to be in vain as the shield protecting the house prevented him from reaching out for her.

"Kol, release her," came a determined voice behind Damon. He turned around to see not only Klaus, but also Elijah standing behind him. The oldest Original nodded his head slightly towards Damon. They were going to take control from then on.

"Shut up, Klaus, I'm not your toy anymore. I was released, I'm free, you won't ever lay that dagger on me again," Kol answered even more enraged than before.

Klaus was about to open his mouth again, when Elijah raised his hand. He knew Klaus was infuriated by their youngest brother's actions and he knew whatever he was about to say would only make Kol madder.

"Elena isn't useful to you anymore, brother, why don't you let her go and try to find out where the Dark Zone is by yourself?" Elijah tried to reason with his brother, but Kol wasn't taking any of it.

"And what great clues I have about it? It could be a fucking island in the Indic Ocean for all I know!" Kol yelled.

"It's actually in Louisiana," Elijah answered calmly.

"How do you know? Do you where it is?"

"I don't know the exact location but a state isn't that much land. You would eventually come across it," he explained, and Kol was silent for a moment, before yelling even louder.

"You're lying to me, you just want me to let her go,"

"And what would I gain by lying to you? I'm just trying to help you and everybody else. You don't need Elena for anything, just let her go and go find Sage,"

"You were infatuated with Tatia, might as well be with this one. You just want me to free her," Kol yelled back at his brother, but before the dark haired Original said anything else, Klaus spoke.

"Enough! You've had your little show, now hand over the doppelganger," Klaus said in a venomous voice.

"You can't come inside, Niklaus, the owner is compelled to stay inside and to never invite someone in. I could kill your precious doppelganger right now," Kol smiled wickedly as he approached Elena again, from behind, moving both of his hands to her neck, holding her still.

The brunette could feel the tears kissing her skin. This was it, she was going to die and the blood Damon had fed her a few days ago wasn't in her system anymore. She wished it still was because she wanted nothing more than to just be with Damon forever. No, she still didn't want to be a vampire, it was still an invalid option, but not seeing him ever again was even more impossible for her to consider. She wasn't ready to lose him, they had just got together, they had only made love a couple of times, there was so much she still wanted to do with him. She'd rather hate herself for eternity and go through the things she despised the most than lose him forever. She didn't despise vampires as a race, she despised the idea of herself ever being one. She wasn't cut for it, there was no way she would want that life, and although it hurt her when Damon made her promise to never turn, she still agreed with him. But now she was moments away from dying and all she wished was that the blood he fed her while they were in Columbia was still on her system.

"Wait, there's something else Sage left for you," Damon cried desperately. He knew the video's contents would only drive Kol wilder, but they were already facing the worst scenario, he knew Kol would kill Elena just to spite his brother.

"And he finally speaks again, I knew Sage wouldn't do that to me, she may not trust you with the location, but she would find a way to give it to me. Whatever you have, hand it over before I kill your lovely girlfriend," Kol answered, sarcasm and wickedness clear in his tone.

"It's a video she recorded on my cell phone," Damon informed taking several steps behind, while he took the device from his pocket, "Come outside with Elena and I'll hand it to you," he said already many feet away from the front door.

"Do you really think you can negotiate with me? Give me it now or she dies," Kol yelled increasing his grip on Elena's neck.

"If you continue touching her right now, I'll smash the phone with my hands and you'll never hear from Sage again," Damon threatened, and although his façade was cold, brave and determined, he was desperate and fearful inside.

"What if you're lying?" Kol asked, and Damon simply pressed play.

"Kol… According to this incredible device known as TV cable, today is January, 17th of 2010…" Sage's voice echoed through the air, and in that moment everything stilled, only the Ancient's voice could be heard.

Kol reached for the locket he was wearing, holding it with his heart. The photo she put inside did no justice to the woman he could see in the small screen in the distance. He was about to step outside, when Damon paused the video and spoke again.

"You know the conditions, release Elena, and come take it, otherwise I'll smash it with my hands," Damon repeated and without thinking twice, he took Elena and ran towards Damon, in vampire speed, throwing her against Damon the moment he reached for the phone.

Damon held Elena close to his body, feeling his own tears falling; all the emotions he had been holding inside for the past minutes finally exploding to the surface. He knew they didn't have much time because Sage's video was short and all hell would break loose once Kol reached the end of it. He looked to the bushes in the neighbor's house, and nodded to his brother, who came out of nowhere and took Elena away while the blue-eyed man stayed.

Elena tried to protest, but before a word left her mouth Stefan took her away in inhuman speed, while Damon watched Kol's emotions.

It wouldn't take longer than a couple of minutes and Damon could feel his blood bumping in his veins as he watched Kol, who still had a silly grin on his face. Although he hated the Original for what he did to Elena, he felt for the man that was standing across from him now. He was a man in love and Damon knew all too well what love drove you to do. The dark-haired vampire let his eyes move from the youngest Original to the oldest ones. Elijah seemed to be really touched by the emotions his youngest brother was going through, but Klaus looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in that moment. Actually the moment he heard his name coming from the telecommunication device, he knew it was better for him to leave, and he just simply, and quietly turned to leave. Damon knew it wasn't long until the video ended, and he moved from his position to hold Klaus back. The Hybrid didn't like to see Damon blocking his way, and was about to retaliate when Damon pushed him against the wall.

"I'm not done with you yet," there was venom in his voice, as he threatened the millenary vampire.

"Why is that, Mate?" Klaus asked with an amused smile on his face.

"I don't want you or anyone else from your family ever touching Elena again. She's been through hell and back. I don't want her to run, hurt or be your personal blood bag anymore!" Damon answered enraged.

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise I'll kill you, so you can either leave now or face death," Damon carried on with his threats.

"And what could you do to me?" Klaus asked just when Damon heard Sage saying her goodbye to Kol.

"That…" he pointed to the phone he and Klaus had a partial view of, but enough for the Hybrid see what happened.

There was another silence; a deafening one after the phone fell from Kol's hand to the grass where he was standing.

"No…" he somehow muttered, before turning around and looking at the three other vampires standing behind him.

Everyone was shocked, and Klaus was about to run away when Damon took a stake from the back of his waist, pointing to Klaus. The raven haired vampire didn't kill the original as he planned. He didn't know what was happening, but he couldn't bring himself to stake Klaus. His hand stopped mid-air, just an inch from Klaus' heart. He couldn't believe there was some sort of shield preventing him from killing Klaus, who now had a satisfied smile on his face.

"I guess I'm not the one dying out today, Mate," he quipped sarcastically to Damon, moving his hand to the younger vampire's neck, lifting him.

"This is all your fault!" Kol yelled enraged, running against Klaus, throwing him, Damon and the stake on the floor, before he started to beat the life out of Klaus. Damon quickly recovered and tried to reach for the stake, but Elijah had been faster than him and held it. Less than a second later he dropped the stake and moved both of his hands to hold his head instead. Damon looked to the opposite side; Stefan came from and saw Bonnie standing near a tree. He nodded, and reached for the stake again, turning to Klaus and Kol who were still rolling on the porch fighting.

As Damon approached them, Klaus kicked Kol throwing the youngest Original on Damon's feet. And then it happened all too fast. Before Damon or Klaus could react, Kol took the stake away from Damon and moved towards his brother, striking the wood straight into his chest.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm sorry for the wait, I sent this chapter to Daniela two weeks ago, and it should have been posted much earlier, but she had some computer problems and we couldn't communicate with each other for a while.<em>

_I hope you enjoyed it, the plot is getting thicker and there will be more developments. Let's not forget that according the mythology I have in this story whoever kills an Original is also killed in the process. I will write the video down, probably next chapter, so you'll know what Sage said that had such an impact on everybody - remember Elena and Damon were shocked quite a while after they left TDZ. And there are more deaths to come... Be prepared.  
><em>

_Thanks a lot for everybody who reviewed last chapter - I was just whining a little bit, but I guess most people understood it. Thanks a lot to **Daniela** who despite all problems she had, still found a way to beta this chapter for me.  
><em>

_Anyone else who might want to be a beta for me, please let me know, it's always good to have a backup and I have a new story coming up soon.  
><em>

_xoxo  
><em>

_Babi  
><em>


	26. XXV

.

**XXV**

* * *

><p>"Noooooooooo!" the painful scream could be heard miles away, from where Rebekah fell onto her knees beside what was still left of her brothers' bodies.<p>

"Rebekah…" Elijah tried to comfort his sister, but his own heart was breaking. As much as he hated Klaus sometimes, he was still his brother and he loved him. Then there was also Kol, who he hadn't been with for nine hundred years, but that he still missed. The time they had as a family – even if Finn wasn't with them – has been precious although too short. Far too short. Even though they had many disagreements, they were still the most feared creatures in the world, and that caused each of them to have a strange relationship with power, but they were still above all siblings. A broken family that now was more broken than ever.

"How did we let it happen, Eli? How?" Rebekah turned to her brother, who had his arms open to embrace his sister. Try to take her pain away and distracting him from his own unbearable pain.

"I don't know Bex. I don't know what we could have done, but unfortunately, there's nothing else we can do now," he tried to offer her comfort, but he knew his words were far from providing it. What was the point in even looking for the right words? There weren't any right words when the only things left from their brothers were ashes. They couldn't even say what was Klaus' and what was Kol's. It was just a huge pile of ashes that the wind, which the soft breeze slowly carried away. They couldn't even stop it, in a question of minutes, hours maybe, there would be nothing left of his younger brothers.

"This is her fault!" Rebekah yelled, detaching her body from her brother's and trying to prevent the ashes from flying away with the breeze.

"Rebekah…" Elijah tried, but Rebekah had lost it.

"Go find a vase or something, I'm not going to let the rest of my brothers to just blow away. Move Elijah!" she demanded as she tried to gather the ashes under the hem of her top. Elijah didn't know what hurt more at the moment, the siblings he lost to death or the sibling he lost to pain, but he walked away as she demanded, towards one of the neighbor's houses where he hoped to find a box, a vase, anything that would help his sister. He would compel even kill if he needed to, but he would give Rebekah what she needed at the moment. To the hell with his morality. He was grieving, as much as his sister, and they were entitled to be wrecked, more than they had been for a thousand years.

* * *

><p>n the meanwhile, Damon ran towards the boarding house, where he knew Stefan had taken Elena to. There was a feeling of finality in his chest though he knew he should feel relieved, happy even.<p>

It was over. It was finally over. Klaus was dead and even though only Kol was killed with him Damon didn't think that Elijah and Rebekah would cause them any trouble. The blond surely had it in her to make their lives a living hell, but he still had one of their brothers in his possession and the other coffin nobody could open or know what was inside.

But watching Sage's video brought painful memories to Damon. He really liked the Ancient and he wasn't over the pain yet. Not even close and now with all their problems gone – or at least the major ones – he knew said memories would occupy his mind more often than he wanted. More often than they already had the past weeks.

_"Kol… According to this incredible device known as TV cable, today is January, 17th of 2010. This is my favorite show, and for someone who will live forever, I really have a bad time dealing with TV shows hiatuses, even if they only last four or five months, but today is the first episode back since the winter hiatus, so I'm lucky. I sound pretty pathetic now, don't I? But that's the way I found to cope with being separate from you forever. Well, let me see what I should start with… Damon Salvatore, he's someone very important to me, and he's the reason why you're awake, and why you're watching this. I'd like you to spare his life and the ones of those he loves. Do it for me. He woke you up for me, but I can't bring you here. This is hell on earth, and I love you too much to be so selfish. I love you, I never stopped even for one day during the 986 years I've been living, and I won't ever stop. I have to admit I was once infatuated with someone else, but it didn't last, it wasn't supposed to. You're my soul mate; there isn't anyone that could ever replace you in my heart, so please forgive me for my moment of weakness. I guess loneliness and heartbreak took their toll on me after eight centuries…" she said, she then stopped to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. She offered a small smile to the phone and took a deep breath before she continued, "I don't have an option here, but you do, Kol, and I want you to take it. I compelled Damon to forget where this place is and I believe he's the only one who knew it. Don't look for me, look for some new love, you deserve it. I can't leave, I was locked here by witches shortly after Niklaus daggered you. There's so much brutality here that I actually compelled Damon to forget he ever saw it. I don't wish you to witness the same, love. For 986 years I didn't know what happiness was, but now I remember it. I had a glimpse of it, exactly a century ago, but it was nothing compared to what I feel now. And the exhilarating feeling that I feel comes from knowing you're free, from knowing I had a chance to say how much I love you, even if for the last time. If I had a chance to hear you say it back, I would die out of ecstasy. But that's a risk I can't take, my dear Kol, and I know despite my request, you won't respect my wish. It makes me sad, but I forgive you, love. I just hope you can forgive me too. I love you, Kol, always and forever," she said as a single tear fell from her eyes and wetted her porcelain skin for the first time in many centuries._

_Reaching for something under her dress, she finally brought a stake, and realization finally hit Damon. He wanted to throw the phone away and stop her, but he was compelled to continue recording. Elena brought her hands to her mouth, but before she could react further than that, Sage brought the White Oak stake to her heart, and just like that she died, in front of Damon, while a tear also fell from his eye._

He didn't realize the couple of tears rolling down his face, or the fact that he was already entering his house's den, but soon Elena's body collided with his, distracting him from his emotional disarray.

"Thank God, you're okay, I was so worried," she cried holding him with all her human strength, that wasn't even that much after being held captive for two days.

"It's done, he's dead," Damon weakly answered, meeting his brother's inquiring gaze.

"Klaus?" Elena stepped away for a second, looking for the confirmation she needed more than anything.

Damon simply nodded and it was Stefan who spoke next.

"How?"

"Kol…" Damon simply answered.

"So is he dead too?" Elena asked and once again she was only met with the quiet, but still noticeable, movement of her boyfriend's head.

She knew why he wasn't jumping, or drinking, or simply smugly smirking. She turned back and looked briefly to Stefan who understood the two of them needed a moment.

"You really cared about her, didn't you?" she asked, taking his hand and moving them towards the couch.

"I still can't believe she killed herself," Damon admitted, and Elena knew it was breaking his heart all over again. It was still fresh in her mind how he had barely talked to her in their trip back to Mystic Falls and silence would always be a bad indication of Damon's frame of mind. He couldn't help himself and he definitely couldn't stop his sharp tongue. Not from sarcasm, wit or simply his extreme opinion.

And there it was again. The telling silence of Damon Salvatore. There weren't any words exchanged between the couple as they sat on the couch, her hand holding his, their gazes lost in painful memories.

"There's one thing I don't understand," he said and she had a feeling what it was about, but still she asked.

"What is it?"

"I had the stake, I was right in front of him, I could have done it, but I just couldn't. It wasn't like I was having second thoughts, I simply couldn't move. It was like trying to entering a house I wasn't invited into," he explained, frowning slightly, as he put into words the weirdest sensation he had ever had.

"That's the feeling of compulsion, Damon," she said and it was her turn to let her mind travel through what she had asked Sage to do for her.

_"Damon Salvatore, first and foremost I order you to never try to stake any Original. You won't try to kill Klaus, Elijah, Finn, Kol or Rebekah, no matter what. You won't lose your life doing so. You will also forget everything about this place, you'll forget what you saw here, how to come back here, and you'll never come back here, not even by chance. No matter who asks you, the Dark Zone is place you won't remember and won't ever come back. I compel you to forget all the gory you saw here, but I'll allow you to remember me and the time we spent. You'll forget everyone else you met here, and you won't remember there's a White Oak tree standing in the middle of the city because that information is too dangerous and I don't trust you not to do something heroic, but also absolutely stupid about it. You'll just believe I kept stakes from the Original White Oak and the moment you come back to the hotel you'll get rid of the branches Elena collected, and you'll only keep the stakes I made for you," Sage said, and then she remembered she forgot to say the same to Elena. She ordered Damon to stay where he was before she looked to Elena and repeated the same speech about the White Oak tree and the stakes they had._

_"As soon as I finish recording my message, you'll take Elena, and everything I gave to both of you, as well as your cell phone, and you'll leave, without looking back, you'll leave for good," Sage turned back to Damon and finally finished her compulsion._

"I'm sorry, but I knew you wouldn't let it pass if you had a chance," Elena apologized after she admitted her request to Sage.

"And did you think it was okay to compel me?!" Damon asked, clearly angry at her betrayal.

"Don't be a hypocrite, Damon, you would have done the same to me if you could," she answered just as loudly as his last words.

"Do you think that low of me?" he grimaced. He thought they had left that behind them. He thought everything had changed since the day she saved him from himself. He thought she saw him with different eyes, different from everyone else except maybe his brother, as Sage and Rose didn't live anymore. There was Alaric, and for a nanosecond he remembered his friend, who he needed to check later. But soon his mind was fully back at her betrayal.

"No, I think that high of your love for me. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't do anything in your power to prevent my death? Even if you had to take my free will from me? I remember a time when you forced your blood through my throat and another time when you actually compelled me," she challenged and even though it killed her to have to address those events, she didn't have any other option. She had to show him he had done the same for her. Actually if anything, he went farther than she did.

"And I lost count of how many times I apologized for that. Two wrongs don't make a right, Elena," his tone of voice decreased several decibels. He still felt guilty and sorry for some of his actions towards her in the past.

"This has nothing to do with wrongs and rights, Damon. I couldn't let you die and I knew your word would lose the battle to your feelings," her voice was also softer, as she reached for his hand again, fearing he wouldn't accept the touch, but relieved when he didn't pull his hand away.

"I know," he admitted, simply.

"But I do owe you an apology. Will you forgive me?" she asked, and he could see in her eyes that she meant those words. That she felt terrible for taking his free will away from him, but at the same time he could also see she would do it all over again if she needed to. He couldn't blame her.

"Of course I do. I love you," he confessed, before pulling her body against his, embracing her with everything he had.

But their moment was called short when Stefan entered the room.

"Bonnie has been trying to contact both of you, but I told her your phone was totaled and Elena's probably in her house," Stefan said, clearly uncomfortable of interrupting their embrace, not only because he knew they needed it, but especially because it was still hard for him to see them that close to each other, even more emotionally than physically.

"What does the witch want?" Damon asked, showing how unhappy he was to be interrupted.

"She asked both of you to go to Elena's house as soon as possible. Alaric seems to have worsened," Stefan explained, before he turned around.

"It doesn't seem like we will ever have a break, does it?" he sighed, holding her closer again.

"Actually I feel like the storm is finally dissipating. I don't know where this feeling is coming from, but I can't brush it away," she offered, snuggling her head against his chest.

"I hope you're right," his grip on her body increased slightly.

"Let's go, it must be really important if Bonnie called us," she said, and while he nodded, he still didn't let her go of him.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Damon immediately asked when he entered Jenna's old bedroom, to find a pale and visibly worn out Alaric resting, as if he was holding his last breath.<p>

The teacher was covered in sweat and he couldn't stop his body from shaking constantly, while his tired expression carried a lot of pain. Bonnie was holding his hand, and having known the witch since the sandbox, Elena knew something was wrong, but not as Damon would expect it to be. Bonnie wasn't looking only hurt and sad. There was a tad of guilt in her eyes and when she realized Elena noticed, she looked away.

"What happened?" Damon repeated his question.

"I'd like to talk alone with them," it was all the teacher said, while Bonnie nodded quietly, walking away from the room and getting inside the closest bathroom as soon as she left. She didn't want to use it, but she knew Elena noticed something was wrong and she knew she was going to be bombarded with questions if the brunette had a chance to ask her. The witch had a feeling soon Alaric would want to talk to Damon separately. The hazel eyed girl didn't want to have that conversation with her friend because she wasn't totally convinced she did the right thing by granting Alaric his wish. Probably his last.

"I'm dying," Alaric informed the couple in front of him, after stopping to cough harshly. Why death had to be so painful even if it involved supernatural reasons, the teacher thought.

"Elena, bring the witch back, there's something she could do. There's something she should do!" Damon exclaimed the last part with anger.

"There isn't Damon, this has been my choice. This thing is killing me while it keeps me absolutely alive. I can't take it anymore. I've made my decision, and I thought the least I could do was tell you both myself," Alaric said weakly after he recovered from his coughing fit.

"Why am I surrounded by suicidal people? Actually, I can only care about people with suicidal wishes?" Damon asked and Elena knew he meant herself and Sage. She was happy she didn't die when she handed herself over to Klaus to be sacrificed, but one of the few friends he ever had committed a suicide only a few weeks ago, and now he was facing the same fate with yet another person important to him. There was nothing she could do to make his pain go away. He had had enough and her heart, her broken, shattered heart, felt even more destroyed by his hurt voice.

"Elena, could I talk to him in private?" Alaric asked, and she simply nodded, moving from her position by Damon's side, to the bed, pulling a stray wet hair from his face. "Fight, it's all I ask, he's been through too much pain and loss," she asked, before she kissed his sweat soaked cheek, and repeating the gesture on Damon's, she left the room.

"I called Jeremy, I let him know what was happening to me and I said he could come back tomorrow. Bonnie told me about what happened to Klaus," Alaric used all of his remaining strength to speak those words.

"I'm going to look for a more powerful witch," Damon said, still ignoring his friend's words.

"Damon, this is my decision. I'm not myself anymore and I can't live with this new version," the teacher's voice was lower and lower, but with Damon's refined hearing, he could still make out his voice clearly.

"So what? You'll kill yourself? News flash, Ric, a lot of us have to actually live with versions of ourselves we hate and despise, but still we're brave enough not to give up," Damon didn't try to cover the pain in his voice. Alaric knew he was talking about himself more than everyone else. He knew Damon hated being a vampire, which was why he had to do it.

"Jeremy is coming; I think you should let him stay. Elena needs her brother and I don't want to be arrogant, but I think he won't deal very well with my death, so he'll probably need her as well," Alaric asked, although he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"How can he be coming if I compelled him not to come back?" Damon asked.

"It'll be dealt with, don't worry," Alaric cryptically answered, and Damon had the final proof something else was going on. He could feel it in the air.

"What are you not telling me?" he demanded, raising one of his eyebrows as he usually did when he was intrigued.

"I don't have much time, and I still need to talk to Elena. I just wanted to be the one to tell you. In time you will understand and before you feel guilty, undeserving or any other stupid things your mind seems to be so sharp to produce, know that it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I don't know how it happened, as I had every reason in the book to hate you, but you've become my best friend, Damon, and I know if you had a chance, you'd probably do the same for me," Alaric concluded his speech, but Damon was still reluctant and hurting.

"Yeah, I would certainly commit suicide because I hurt someone you cared about and would still hurt them a lot more. Tell me, Ric, is that a natural death or did the witch do a spell? She looked like she couldn't leave the room fast enough. Maybe if it's an elixir she still has some to share with me, I'm sure giving it to me will make her feel much less guilty than giving it to you," he answered with sarcasm, but Alaric could catch the pain behind his anger.

"Ask Elena to come here, Damon, I don't have much more time in me and she doesn't have special hearing abilities," Alaric said before starting a new coughing fit.

Damon didn't want to leave, but he knew there was nothing he could do at this point. But the witch would meet his rage, he would make sure of it. Even if she killed him in the process.

* * *

><p>It didn't take her even a minute and finally Elena was standing in front of him.<p>

Alaric pointed the nightstand opposed to the side of the bed he was laying and Elena's eyes finally noticed the object she missed the first time she entered the room. She recognized the tissue from the cover as soon as she spotted it under the ancient book.

"I came across with it nearly after you and Damon came back. I had no idea it was something Sage gave to you," the teacher explained, his voice horse and even lower than before, but somehow Elena understood it.

"She said nobody should read it except for me," Elena said moving towards the objects.

"Because she didn't want you to show the letter to Damon, he would never agree with what is written there," Alaric said, and Elena noticed the small folded paper over the book.

"Read it, I don't have much longer, Elena," he said, coughing hard again.

She looked at him confused, but she knew she could trust his judgment and she had been curious to know what was it that Sage gave to her. It took her a while to read the letter, because tears kept blurring her vision. She still remembered how Sage killed herself to make sure Kol wouldn't come to such a terrible place because of her. She set him free and that still touched Elena a lot. But she finally moved to the main subject of the letter and as she read the words, she looked up to Alaric and back to the letter, not believing what her eyes were seeing.

"Oh my God!" she said, as thicker tears streamed down her face.

"I'm this person, Elena," he said, and for a moment, she just couldn't say anything, but then when she looked back at him once again she noticed his eyes weren't opened anymore.

"Ric! Ric!" she yelled, shaking his shoulders much harsher than she should if she had any hopes he would still be alive.

"Damon! Bonnie!" she yelled next when she confirmed her teacher's body was in fact lifeless.

"Elena!" she heard Bonnie's scared voice from downstairs and she knew something must have happened for the witch to sound like that.

Knowing there was nothing she could do for Alaric, she flew downstairs only to be met with a scene she would never be able to erase from her mind.

There, lying on the floor of her living room, was Damon's body, completely motionless.

The witch was facing the two vampires standing on the doorway, actually one of them was between the outside and the inside of the house, but it was the one outside that finally voiced something when everyone else seemed to have lost their voices.

"I do hope he wasn't the only one to know where Finn is," Rebekah said, behind Elijah, looking at Damon's gray body, with protuberant veins all over his skin.

* * *

><p><em>AN: good thing none of my readers live in the neighborhood, I feel like some of you would at least punch me in the gut.<em>

_Next chapter is the last one, the epilogue. It's worth a read. I wrote some of it already, but it's been outlined for a while. You may not be disappointed (much).  
><em>

_**In complete different news, I started a klaroline story and I need a beta for it. Please, if any of you are KC fans and have time to be a beta for me, I'd love. It's a medical AH story.**  
><em>

_For those whose eyes are not red with hate, thank you! Also thanks for the reviews and a special thanks to my beta, **Daniela.**  
><em>

_****xoxo,_

_Babi  
><em>


	27. Epilogue

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**Something About You**

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>"Damon!" Elena desperately tossed her body over her dead boyfriend's body. Even though the words from the letter she just read were still very alive in her head, she didn't have enough time to process it all and all rationality flew off of her mind in that moment.<p>

"Can I come in?" Elijah asked, although he had already been invited to the house.

Elena is too lost in her pain and tears to even hear his words, but Bonnie nodded her head, not knowing what else she should be doing. She didn't want to talk about her deal with Alaric in front of Rebekah and Elijah, especially the blonde, but she wasn't sure if Alaric had time to do it himself and she couldn't bear to see her friend like that.

"Everything will be okay, Elena. It's finally over," the witch said moving her hand to rest on her best friend's shoulder. For just a moment Elena felt better, but it only lasted just that moment.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Elena. I know exactly how it feels," Elijah offered softly.

"So is the legend true after all? When we kill an Original all his bloodline dies along with them?" Rebekah asked from behind the invisible barrier that prevented her from entering the house.

"Rebekah…" Elijah simply warned his sister.

"Anyway, back to my question, where is my brother? Damon better not be the only one who knew about Finn's whereabouts," she said showing no compassion for the girl that was still crying her eyes out, although Elena certainly looked calmer, as she looked to Bonnie who simply nodded her head.

"I know where he is," Elena answered quietly.

"Spill. I don't feel I need any revenge now that you feel how it is to lose someone you love, although I would never compare losing a fling to losing your family, especially two brothers," Rebekah said, trying to cover her own pain as she held tighter the two metal boxes in her arms.

"I know the timing is bad for you, as much as it is for us, Elena, and I can relate to your pain. But Finn is the only brother we have left, we just want to bring the rest of the family we still have together, so we have a deal to propose," Elijah said with always such polite behavior.

Elena looked to Bonnie once more, and to Damon's dead body, and once again the witch reassured her friend.

"What do you propose?"

"You hand us back the two coffins and we'll leave Mystic Falls and won't ever come back. Any of us," he offered, clearly affected by his brothers' deaths.

"I trust you, Elijah, but I don't even know your brother. Plus, the siblings I did get to know weren't that trustworthy," Elena said moving her gaze to the blond original.

"We're people of our word, Elena, trust me the last place I want to ever set foot again is the place that destroyed my family over again. We won't ever come back to this place, it's damned," Rebekah once again let her emotions show, and Elena and Bonnie could say the female Original was a word away from breaking down in tears.

"Can I trust you this time, Elijah?" she asked, and the Original actually looked down. He was aware he had failed her trust a few times, none of them on purpose, but still.

"Yes, Elena, I promise you that none of us will ever come back here," he assured her and she only nodded, before turning to Bonnie.

"Follow me," the witch said, and the Original complied, following her towards the back of the house.

They took the stairs to the basement where there was nothing but a laundry room, a table, and a few other things in the very spacious place.

Bonnie started chanting and after a few seconds the two coffins appeared out of nowhere in the back of the room.

"Thank you, Bonnie," he said as he moved to the coffins, opening the first, to find it sealed. He moved to the second and after trying to open it, the lid finally moved and he saw his daggered brother inside. He was aware of mysterious coffin that couldn't be open, but he needed to check if they weren't trying to fool him. He knew those were honest people, but he also knew he had tested their trust in him too many times for them to ever really trust him again.

He moved one coffin over the other and although it was heavy and difficult to carry both at once, in a flash he was gone from the basement and meeting his sister at the door.

"Move them to the car," he asked, crossing the doorframe, and resting both coffins on the floor.

Rebekah flashed towards the car to dispose the boxes in her hand before coming back to take the coffins, one by one, unlike her brother.

"Elena," he said entering the room again, seeing the brunette holding Damon's body against hers, as his head rested on her lap.

"Thank you," the Original completed and she only nodded. "I'm really sorry it had come to that, but I guess it's finally over and at least you'll be able to have a normal life," he offered honestly.

"Thank you, Elijah, I hope the rest of your family can finally be reunited for good," she answered back, while Bonnie reentered the room.

"Goodbye, ladies," he said and with that he was gone, entering the car where his sister was already waiting for him, both boxes and coffins resting inside the SUV.

Rebekah didn't waste any time before removing the dagger from her brother and looking to the awake one, she nodded, and they finally took off.

"I guess it's finally over," Bonnie said relieved, sitting at the couch near to where Elena and Damon's body were.

"Now what?" she looked to her friend hopefully.

"We hope for the best," Bonnie answered honestly. Elena could see there was still a tad of fear in her friend's eyes, and looking back at the dead man in her arms, she felt her tears coming back and she just hoped the best was indeed what would happen to them.

"I think we should move him upstairs," Elena suggested, and Bonnie nodded, chanting some brief words, making Damon's body levitate from Elena's arms. The witch moved the vampire's body to Elena's room, making it lay on her bed.

"I'll take the Grimoire," Elena said, entering her late aunt's room, to find her now late teacher and friend, and the tears that barely stopped falling started rolling her face again.

She took the letter and the old book and handing the latter to her friend, she sat on the bed, by her boyfriend's side, taking his hand in one of hers, while the other held the letter she had to read again. She just hoped Sage was right and it would work.

While Bonnie started chanting the foreign words, Elena's eyes ran over the elegant writing again.

_Dear Elena,_

_First of all, I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for the way I first treat you when we met, but Damon is someone really important to me. He had been like a light in the middle of an endless night that I've been living for the past nine centuries. He changed everything when he came here a hundred years ago and letting him go was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I knew I had to do it._

_I know I had no right to judge your feelings for him, but when I let him go, I told myself I was giving up the only other person in the whole world that made me feel something. It becomes really meaningful when you've lived almost a thousand years. Damon was everything for me when I had nothing, and if I couldn't be the woman for him, the same way he couldn't ever be the man for me, I could at least be his friend and release him to be with the love of his life._

_It was a shock to see you with him instead of Katherine and the first impression I got of you wasn't a great one, but it wasn't my place to decide if Damon loved you, if he had chose you. I had to respect his wishes, like mine never was._

_Being forcefully separated from the man I loved for nine centuries was the worst punishment those witches ever brought over me. I missed Kol every day, even when Damon was with me, because although we had a great time together and I think I developed some sort of feelings for him, my heart still belonged to Kol. I could never give myself entirely to someone else. Maybe it's been because of the long time I cultivated those feelings I had for my first love, or maybe it was the hostile place I've been living that made me hold onto my feelings for him and never let go because that was the only light I had in my life._

_But Damon loves you, in a way I don't think he ever loved Katherine. The way he looks at you, the way he talks about you seems deeper and even bigger than whatever he felt for the first doppelganger. And I respect – and even envy that – because a love like that should be given all chances in the world. That's why I'm giving you this Grimoire. There are a lot of spells in it. All of them dated by the time I was alive. I think that was the first Grimoire related to vampires as most spells are related to us. I don't know how Anthony found it, but I want you to have it because of the spell on page sixteen. A spell that makes a human life be exchanged for a vampire life. There are a few conditions that I hope Damon can meet. The human has to be willing to die for the vampire in question, out of love, and the light, natural to the human being will be exchanged for the dark soul of a vampire. The thing is a vampire soul is much darker than a human body can handle. It'll kill the human and hopefully, if nature accepts the sacrifice, the light from the human soul will shine over the vampire's instead of completely disappearing. If it works as the spell says, somehow this light will bring life to the vampire in question and somehow he will be human again._

_I know it's risky and if something goes wrong you will lose Damon forever, but just remember there's nothing he wants more than to be human again. He hates being a vampire, although his façade says otherwise. But I'm sure you know it already._

_Do as you wish, but don't let him know about it. It would crush his heart to know there could be a way, only to be disappointed by not reaching the conditions of the spell._

_I hope everything works out for the two of you and I'm sure he will find someone who loves him enough. As you may know already, Damon Salvatore, the real one, it's the easiest person around to love, the only problem is actually getting to see his real self._

_Be happy,_

_Sage_

"It's done," Bonnie said, but Damon didn't show any reaction.

"What if Sage was wrong?" she asked, feeling her eyes shimmering with tears.

Bonnie didn't have time to respond because with a loud gasp for air, Damon sat on the bed.

The moment he gasped the book in Bonnie's hands started burning, leading the witch to throw it on the floor, where it disappeared in a blaze of fire. There was nothing left of it, no ashes, no burning stain on the floor. Nothing. It simply disappeared into thin air.

Elena was startled by the fire for a second, but even before it disappeared she was wrapping her arms around Damon, kissing his face, while thick tears fell from her eyes.

"What happened?" he asked, feeling weird, but not sure how.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, weeping.

"My head hurts like hell, as well the rest of my body, my senses are blurred, what the hell is going on?" he asked, looking between the two girls.

"Alaric was getting worse because of the ring and there was nothing I could do to save him. He couldn't take it anymore, especially after he attacked Elena," Bonnie explained, looking at Elena, hoping she would help her.

"He opened the package Sage left for me by mistake," Elena said, and not knowing how to say it to him, she handed him the letter.

Damon took it from her and started reading his late friend's words.

"No," he whispered as he finally understood what happened.

"It was his decision, Damon," Elena tried to comfort him, but it was no avail.

"How could you do that?" Damon turned angrily to Bonnie.

"I tried to convince him otherwise, but he was adamant. I would either do it, or he would find someone else to," Bonnie tried to defend herself, but Damon was fuming.

"He still had a chance," he yelled, trying to stand up, but finding himself too weak to do it.

"Damon," Elena tried to calm her boyfriend, but he wasn't listening.

"I'm not worth it, he shouldn't have done it," he said more to himself, than to anyone else.

Elena looked at Bonnie and the witch understood her friend wanted to be alone with her boyfriend.

"I'll be downstairs," she whispered, and Elena nodded.

"I'm sorry," she offered, caressing his back.

"He shouldn't have done it. We could find a way to cure him," Damon said, his head buried in his hands.

"I wouldn't have allowed him to do it if I knew about it, but it's done, Damon," she tried to comfort him, but she knew there was nothing she could do.

"He's gone," he muttered.

"He was going to be gone either way. It was driving him insane, the guilt was consuming him," she soothed, and he relished in her touch, but it didn't help fill the hole in his heart.

"Damn it," he said, and she noticed he was crying by the movement of his body did under her touch. He wasn't only crying. He was sobbing.

It was the first time Elena had saw Damon so broken and showing so many emotions. Not even when they were in the Dark Zone or after it She had never seen him so emotional like that. It was heartbreaking.

"I'm so sorry," she said repeatedly, while he sobbed loudly.

* * *

><p>The funeral had been a small one. Although Alaric was a teacher at Mystic High and a member in the city's council, Elena and Jeremy had requested an intimate service and burial.<p>

It was only them, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Stefan and Damon. There was no priest or past, just like when Jenna died. It was just them and the unbearable pain of losing yet another loved one. Klaus was finally gone, along with all the threats they knew about, but the price they had to pay was high one.

They had buried Vicky, Jenna, John, Bill, Tyler, and now Alaric. All of them lost someone they loved, but now it was over.

"Rest in peace, my friend," Damon said as the coffin started to be covered by dirty.

They watched as the cemetery's employee finished covering Alaric's grave, and after he was finished they stayed for a little longer, though nobody said a word.

Damon was experiencing an overload of emotions. Not only he had lost the only friend he truly had, but he was human again. He was unfamiliar to most of those feelings, especially in that intensity. It was different from the things he had experienced since they came back from the Dark Zone. Back then, the reverie of emotions was overwhelming, too much for him to handle. It was as if he wasn't physically capable of dealing with them, but now they were just consuming. He felt everything. Feeling wasn't the problem. The excruciating pain was. There was a void inside him and nothing seemed to fill it. Elena was by his side, but being human again was a foreign feeling. It was against everything he knew. It was weird and he felt powerless and weak, but not because he wasn't immortal anymore. Actually everything was new, although it didn't seem like a good new. The world had lost some of its color, the nature around them didn't seem as alive as it used to be just two days ago. His senses seemed to be defective, but none of the powers he lost made him feel powerless. It wasn't about strength or supernatural abilities. It was simply about being human. He didn't know how to be human again, how to feel, how to handle the emotions he couldn't stop. There was no switch, there was no cheating. There was only an ocean of pain and loss.

But as he felt Elena squeezing his hand once again that afternoon, now it was to let him know they should leave, he also felt warmness like he hadn't felt in a century and a half. Something as simple and small like a touch from the woman he loved made everything much more bearable. It was still difficult, and the pain was still there, but somehow he felt like everything was going to be okay somehow. He felt hopeful.

"Thank you," he whispered against her hair, and she only nodded, not sure about what he was thanking her for, as she hugged him.

The others started to leave, and soon it was only the two of them, still in each other's arms.

"How do you do it?" he asked as they broke apart and started to walk away.

"Do what?"

"Make the pain go away. How do you deal with knowing that you lost someone forever?" he asked quietly, and she took a moment to answer, trying to keep her own emotions at bay.

"It doesn't go away. It hurts so much at first that you feel numb, and the dullness continue for a while, until the pain indeed becomes bearable. But there isn't a day that goes by that you'll remember you won't see them again. A day doesn't go by when a memory hurts, but also comforts you. At the end of the day your heart is still beating, and even if it's completely broken, it's still there. You're still there, and you do the best you can in life because that's the life you have to live," she said, her vision blurred by her tears.

"How am I supposed to live a life that isn't mine to live? How am I supposed to live knowing my life cost his death?"

"He made a decision, you weren't aware of it. But you owe him. Even if it you didn't ask for this. You owe him to be happy, to do the best you can out of this life," she stopped to look at him while she spoke.

"What if I fail? What if I…" he started, but her fingers silenced his lips.

"Then you keep trying. He died for you because he believed you could do great things, because he wanted you to be happy and I plan to do my best to collaborate with his final wish," she offered, replacing her fingers for her own lips.

"Emotions are magnified when we turn from humans to vampire, but I'm sure I've never loved you more than I love you now," he said once they broke away.

"And with that you already made it worth it, and I'm sure wherever he is, he's happy for you, for us," she looked him in the eyes, her hand on his cheek.

"Maybe," he answered quietly.

"There's something about you, Damon. Something that isn't on the surface, that is hard for people to see because you don't show it, but still it's there. You're loyal, you're passionate, you're determined, and you love with everything you have. You deserve a chance to be human again because there is nothing you ever wanted more," she moved her other hand to his face, cupping it.

"You, Elena, there is nothing I ever wanted more than you," he slid his hand in her hair, looking at her face as if he was trying to memorize every inch of her beautiful frame.

"And there's nothing I want more than you," she said before they joined together in a passionate kiss.

* * *

><p><em>AN: It's finally over! thanks for everyone who read, added to their alerts and favorites and reviewed. A special thanks to my beta <strong>Daniela.<strong> xoxo_


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